A new home for sports & action programs

When the exciting game seven of the 2013 NBA Finals series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs aired on ABS-CBN last June, it registered record high TV ratings.

In October, ABS-CBN aired the 2013 UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals with the third and deciding game between the DLSU Green Archers and UST Growling Tigers earning the highest viewership of a local college basketball game in Philippine television history.

These milestones show how Filipinos are hungry for sports action. Sharing the Filipinos’ passion for sports, ABS-CBN launched ABS-CBN Sports+Action, a new free-to-air TV channel that promises only the best of local and international sport events. 

“It is with enough confidence that we step up to the plate to introduce what we hope to be the best free channel dedicated to fueling the Filipino fighting spirit,” said ABS-CBN head of Narrowcast March Ventosa during the trade event held at Fairmont Hotel in Makati recently.

“We hope to give sports the respect and attention they deserve because sports play an important role in the life of the Filipino,” he said.

Ventosa added that the new channel carries with its brand the name of the network to assure fans that the ABS-CBN Sports+Action will “deliver the ABS-CBN kind of entertainment value, family orientation and emotional connection with the audience.”

At the trade event, ABS-CBN Sports+Action promised to provide that emotional connection when it presented its exciting sports line-up through the live performance of Ito Ang Ating Sandali. The channel’s new theme song composed by Rico Blanco encouraged viewers to “fight like titans” and “give your all.”

ABS-CBN president and CEO Charo Santos-Concio acknowledged the emotional connection of the audience to the sports and the athletes.

“Filipinos see themselves as an extremely poor boy who became Manny Pacquiao and a high school dropout’s wimpy son who would become Nonito Donaire,” said Santos-Concio. “Filipinos see themselves in Jeric and Jeron Teng, fierce rivals on the court but solid as brothers at home. We see ourselves in our athletes who compete in international games because they play all-out no matter what the odds.”

With the new channel, hoops fans can look forward to watching all the live, hardcourt action from the UAAP Men’s Basketball, Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), FilOil Flying V Tournament and the free-TV telecast of the NBA.

Boxing fans can watch out for the upcoming bouts of Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire and the rest of the Top Rank boxers as well as Donnie “Ahas” Nietes and the boxers under the ALA stable in upcoming editions of Pinoy Pride.

ABS-CBN Sports+Action is also the new home of UAAP Volleyball and Football Tournaments, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the Azkals matches, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

To keep up with all the sports news, ABS-CBN Sports+Action announced that TJ Manotoc, Tina Marasigan and Gretchen Ho will deliver a daily 15-minute news report about the latest news, highlights and debates in the world of sports called The Score.

Aside from its sports programs, ABS-CBN Sports+Action revealed an equally spectacular action program line-up.

From the world of sports to the world’s current affairs, Anthony “Tunying” Taberna and Jef Gaitan presented their new show, News+ where they will break down the day’s biggest issues so viewers can understand how it affects their daily lives.

It will join The Ultimate Fighter: China and Zero Hours, as the all-new shows for the channel while ABS-CBN Sports+Action will also bring back CSI, NCIS, Once Upon a Time and WWE along with FPJ: Hari ng Aksyon, a block dedicated to Fernando Poe Jr.’s timeless action movies.

Offering a variety of sports for every kind of fan and action-packed shows for the whole family, ABS-CBN Sports+Action is sure to be the channel to watch out for.

“With your support, our new channel will inspire and excite the fighter in every Filipino,” said Ventosa.