PBA TV rights bidders make final push

The fight for the television rights of the Philippine Basketball Association is likely to heat up today with the three aspirants making their final presentations before the league board of governors in a meeting at the PBA office inside the Ultra Complex in Pasig.

NBN-IBC, Viva Vintage Sports and the group led by businessman-sportsman Carlos "Bobong" Velez will make their presentations starting at 12 noon, then the PBA board, led by chairman Butch Alejo of Purefoods, starts what could be a lengthy discussion for the decision.

The PBA’s partnership with Viva Vintage Sports is to expire at the end of the year, thus, the PBA board is now busy searching for a new partner that could give them the best coverage – and, of course, best profits.

The board has been tackling the matter for months now.

The National Broadcasting Network (NBN), in a team-up with IBC 13, promises to bring the PBA to new heights, saying it has the technology, the expertise, the talents, manpower and the concept for the coverage that is attuned to the times.

NBN president and chair Mia Concio said their offer guarantees getting to the heart of Filipino homes on their telecast, having 33 provincial stations reaching 94 percent of the country. NBN also boasts of 18 radio stations nationwide.

"In the past, bidders just offer their networks and the airtime for the games, but NBN’s creative programming concept behind the coverage has much more to offer than that," said Concio.

Concio also stressed the advantages of having two networks joining forces to bring the league to greater heights. Included in the combined NBN-IBC 13 offer for simultaneous telecast is the use of nine cameras at the playing venues – including slam cams, Cam Mates, Isolation cameras aside from two slo-mo machines for a more comprehensive coverage of the games.

NBN and IBC 13 also offer two portable satellites and five OB vans dedicated for PBA provincial games and guarantee telecasting capabilities from anywhere in the country.

Velez and his group, meanwhile, boast expertise while offering a letter of credit (LOC) and a profit-sharing scheme in their bid.

The board asked NBN-IBC and Viva Sports also to come up with an LOC in today’s meeting.

Also in the agenda is the finalization of the new salary cap scheme to be imposed starting next year.

Meanwhile, back-to-back Commissioner’s Cup titlist Red Bull puts its unblemished record on the line as it takes on Sta. Lucia Realty at the resumption of the Selecta All-Filipino Cup at the Astrodome today.

The Thunder are the only remaining unbeaten team in the field and will be gunning for a third straight win fresh from a 10-day respite versus the Realtors in their 7:30 p.m. tiff.

Talk N Text, coming off its very first win under coach Paul Woolpert last week against FedEx, seeks a followup versus winless Shell at 5:30 p.m.

The Thunder pace the field with a 2-0 win-loss card. Curiously, the four teams bunched at second place with similar 2-1 records are sister teams San Miguel Beer, Barangay Ginebra, Coca-Cola and Purefoods.