FIBA Games live on free TV

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino basketball fans will have the opportunity to watch the Philippines’ very own national team, Gilas Pilipinas, perform against its national counterparts in the 2014 FIBA World Cup being played in Spain on Aug. 30 to Sept. 15.

Recognizing not just the love for the game that Filipinos have, but also the nationalistic pride in seeing the country’s very own square off against the world’s best, Solar Entertainment Corporation, through its sports channels Solar Sports and BTV will broadcast the games on cable in real time, while their broadcast partners ABS-CBN and TV5 will also carry some key games on free TV.  

“With a six-hour time difference, the games aired live will be relatively more accessible to viewers,” explained Solar Sports marketing director Martin David. “This is in marked contrast to the early morning live airings of the FIFA World Cup football matches, which was a limiting factor to many viewers. We’re expecting that more people will be able to watch the progress of Gilas Pilipinas against teams from other nations.”

David added that these match-ups are another draw that viewers will be watching out for, pointing out that a number of players from the NBA have transferred temporarily to native home teams to balance out their chances against tougher teams including lead contenders USA, Argentina, Spain and France.“Even in the early stages, we will be able to watch our very own go up against players like NBA veteran Luis Scola, who is playing for Argentina in Group B, the same as the Philippines.

“Fans will see familiar names in the NBA wearing the uniforms of other countires,” said David. Aside from Scola, the Gasol brothers for host team Spain, and Boris Diaw will play for France.

Gilas Pilipinas’ lineup is largely the same as the one that brought the country second place in the 2013 FIBA Asia Cup, with the addition of Brooklyn Nets Andray Blatche, who was naturalized as a Filipino to meet the requirements for team membership.

David admitted that they’ve anticipated the airing of the FIBA games for a very long time, “but more than just the hype, this is about responding to what our customers want to watch. Besides, the national team has always performed admirably in the previous FIBA international competitions, often against bigger, tougher foes. Filipinos rally behind that. Filipinos love rooting for the underdog.”