MBA ready to sign pact with NBN

The MBA hopes to improve its coverage of its games this season as it formalizes its contract with the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) Channel 4 today.

MBA officials, led by president and chairman Santi Araneta and Ramon Tuason, director for business and marketing, are set to meet with NBN 4 executive Bobby Arias at 4 p.m. today for the contract signing making the government channel the new carrying station of the community-based league.

"We are going to meet NBN officials to finalize things up," Araneta told the STAR. "And the MBA and NBN are signatures away from finalizing a deal."

Araneta, however, refused to divulge the figures of the contract, saying: "We don’t want to jeopardize things so we would not divulge any information with regards to the figures concerned."

Under the proposal, Araneta is seeking to telecast games on NBN 4 during Saturdays from 6 to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m.

Broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, MBA’s partner the past four years, has decided not to renew its contract with the league this year, forcing the MBA to look for another station.

Tuason, meanwhile, said that two more teams are expected to join LBC Batangas, Negros, a TPG-bankrolled Mindanao team, Cebuana Lhuillier, newcomer Olongapo and comebacking Pampanga when the league kicks off its fifth season in April.

"By the end of January we will be announcing the other two teams comprising the MBA cast this season," said Tuason. Aspirants for the remaining slots are Pangasinan, Laoag, Rizal, Pasig and Taguig. – Joey Villa