Cignal steps in with own cameras as Asian Games host feed skips tennis
Official Philippine broadcaster invests an additional P1 million to bring Alex Eala's matches to Filipino fans live
MANILA, Philippines — Cignal, the official Philippine broadcaster of the 20th Asian Games, will deploy its own cameras and digital equipment at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya. The move lets Filipino fans at home and abroad watch Alex Eala compete live for the Philippines.
Tennis is not among the 28 sports guaranteed a live world feed from host broadcaster China Media Group-International Media Port. The remaining sports receive only highlights and ENG coverage. To fill that gap, Cignal is investing an additional P1 million to produce its own live coverage of the tournament, which begins September 27.
"Alex chose to play for the flag when she could have played for prize money in Beijing, and that deserves to be seen by every Filipino," said Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of MediaQuest. "I know Alex is sponsored by our competitors, but in Nagoya, we're all Team Philippines. When the host left out Alex's games, I immediately said we should send cameras there. We wanted more Filipinos to be able to watch her games, cheer her on, and hopefully see her bring home the gold."
Eala, ranked No. 18 in the world, gave up a place at the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing, along with its prize money and ranking points, to represent the country in Aichi-Nagoya. With several top Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian players skipping the Games for the concurrent China Open, she is now the highest-ranked player in the women's draw. The Philippines is seeking its first Asian Games tennis gold medal since 1962.
Cignal's Asian Games coverage airs on ONE Sports, ONE Sports+ and Pilipinas Live. Eala headlines the coverage alongside gymnast Carlos Yulo and pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
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