This appears in the Saturday, April 18, 2015 edition of the Business Mirror.
Is NCAA returning to ABS-CBN fold
by rick olivares and joel orellana
Is the National Collegiate Athletic
Association of the Philippines (NCAA) returning to its former television
partner?
The Business Mirror learned on Friday
that the NCAA has engaged in preliminary talks with network giant ABC-CBN to be
the television coveror of the country’s oldest collegiate league for its Season
91.
“They [NCAA] requested a meeting.
Nothing is final yet,” said the source, who requested anonymity. “Right now,
nag-uusap pa silang dalawa.”
NCAA’s three-year deal with Sports5,
owned by Manny V. Pangilinan, has already lapsed and there are no indications
that the Kapatid Network would renew their agreement.
Prior to jumping to Sports5 in 2012,
the NCAA spent 10 years with Studio 23, ABS-CBN’s sister network.
A lucrative offer, including a
prime-time slot for weekend games and coverage of all sports, made the NCAA
leave ABS-CBN. The three-year deal with Sports5 was believed to be more
lucrative than what the league got from its last five-year contract with
ABS-CBN.
The source said the NCAA Management
Committee wants to fast track a new deal with ABS-CBN. The league opens its new
season in late June.
Sports5 was mum on why it has not shown
interest in renewing its contract with the NCAA although there were reports it
also wanted the more glamorous University Athletic Association of the
Philippines (UAAP).
The UAAP, however, has already signed a
fresh five-year contract with ABS-CBN.
Oh, it's good. ABS-CBN's coverage of the NCAA is better than TV5's. Meanwhile, as one friend says, it is better for the NCAA w/o TV coverage to thrive for the whole season.
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