ABG boosts bid for NCAA Philippines TV rights

MANILA, Philippines -- The Abante-Bilyonaryo Group (ABG) has raised the stakes in its bid for the NCAA television rights.

Following its initial presentation to the league, First Vice-President Jacque M. Ruby said ABG envisions a partnership in which the NCAA becomes the centerpiece of its sports programming strategy, noting that it deserves a broadcast platform that matches the prestige and history of the league.

"The NCAA will be our sole sports property. That means our production resources, promotional efforts, programming support and digital initiatives will be fully dedicated to growing the NCAA brand, its member schools and its student-athletes," he said.

Ruby said production quality will be a major priority should it secure the NCAA rights.

"We are prepared to make significant investments in production from day one by bringing together the best people in the industry while developing young talents who can help elevate NCAA coverage for years to come," Ruby said.

ABG is also developing an international distribution strategy for NCAA games and special programming through its international distribution partners, with a particular focus on reaching Filipino communities, NCAA alumni and longtime collegiate sports fans across the globe.

With the NCAA basketball tournament scheduled to open in September, ABG said it is prepared to immediately deploy quality broadcast resources to ensure a seamless start to coverage should it secure the rights.

"Given the proximity of the season opening, it is imperative that we initially lease high-quality equipment to ensure we can deliver a first-class broadcast from Day One," Ruby said.

He stressed that the equipment rental strategy is only a short-term solution while ABG prepares larger investments for the league.

"Our long-term vision is to build a dedicated NCAA production infrastructure equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will be used exclusively for NCAA coverage," added Ruby.

The network has committed to providing free-to-air television coverage, extensive digital and social media promotion and year-round storytelling designed to increase fan engagement and visibility for the league.

ABG also highlighted its digital reach, citing the billions of views and millions of engagements generated since last year.

ABG formally presented its proposal to NCAA executives during their Policy Board meeting on June 9 at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA).

A week later, the NCAA was informed of the intention of both Cignal and ABS-CBN to pursue the television rights, with Cignal formally presenting its proposal on June 20.

ABG emerged as the first network group to formally express interest in securing the NCAA television rights following the conclusion of the league's five-year television agreement with GMA. (Contributed story)