PBA remains dominant sports attraction

OSAKA — There’s no doubt the PBA remains the most popular sports program on TV and with nearly a million viewers watching every game on average, the league’s Board of Governors is now taking the next step to translate dominance on air to higher attendance numbers in venues.

At the first session of the annual planning meeting in the Swissotel Nankai here Sunday morning, the Board reviewed the TV ratings presented by TV5 and Cignal TV as confirmed by US media research group Nielsen. PBA chairman Ricky Vargas of TNT was joined by vice chairman Bobby Rosales of Terrafirma, treasurer Atty. Raymond Zorrilla of Phoenix, governors Alfrancis Chua of Ginebra, Atty. Bill Pamintuan of Meralco, Ronald Dulatre of NLEX, Robert Non of San Miguel Beer, Silliman Sy of Blackwater, Erick Arejola of NorthPort, Archen Cayabyab of Converge, Rene Pardo of Magnolia and Atty. Mamerto Mondragon of Rain or Shine, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro, PBA head of finance Odessa Encarnacion, PBA head of marketing Jo Francisco, PBA general counsel Atty. Ogie Narvasa and PBA social media head Michelle Flores. TV5 president/CEO Guido Zaballero, CignalTV president/CEO Jane Basas and CignalTV first vice president for channels and content management Sienna Olaso presented the ratings to the Board.

Vargas said the lack of robust attendance figures during pre-playoff games suggests a wrong impression that the PBA’s popularity is dwindling when in reality, the ratings show high demand. On a year-to-date basis up to last June, the PBA brought in an average of 975,520 viewers a game compared to 313,040 for PVL, 218,400 for UAAP, 218,400 for NBA and 145,600 for MPBL. PBA’s average viewers are three times more than PVL and five times more than UAAP and NBA.

The most-viewed sports event was the Meralco-San Miguel Beer Philippine Cup Finals Game Six which drew 2.16 million. Since moving to RPTV as its exclusive free-to-air home last February, PBA has been the network’s main ratings driver, producing an 80 percent increase in viewership. It was also noted that of the top 20 most viewed sports programs, 14 were PBA games. On OneSports YouTube, the PBA registered 56.9 million video views, 250 percent more than UAAP or PVL. On OneSports Facebook, video views were 181 million.Olaso noted that OneSports digital platforms cater to 32 percent female and 68 percent male with 42 percent in the 25-34 age group.

“The challenge is to bring the fans back to the venue,” said Vargas. “We’re aiming to enhance fan experience from the start of the season.” One of the pillars of discussion in the PBA’s planning meeting was to discuss ways to uplift and inspire fans by delivering an unforgettable live event from the moment they arrive at the arena until the final buzzer.

Notes: The PBA is set to implement some new rules in the coming Season 49, including a “four-point shot” from beyond a 27-foot arc.