Blockbuster NBA deal on local TV

For hoop fanatics, it’s the ultimate treat.

Solar Entertainment Corp. is putting on National Basketball Association (NBA) fare 12 hours a day on its all-sports cable channel starting next month and when the new season begins, free-TV will air two games a week in the main course of a year-round diet that’s guaranteed to whet the appetite of every cage diehard from Aparri to Jolo.

The blockbuster NBA package will be announced in lavish rites at the NBC Tent in the Fort, Makati, tonight.

The deal cements the relationship between Solar and NBA which got together for a one-season arrangement last season. Obviously, the experience was mutually beneficial as the new contract extends to four years.

What should make Solar president William Tieng’s eyes light up is the blackout that the NBA has imposed on ESPN and Star Sports in airing the Conference Finals and the Finals. That means Solar will enjoy absolute exclusive rights to the NBA’s Last Dance for the next four seasons.

Solar’s 24-hour sports channel is expected to go on the air in August. A six-hour block is reserved for the NBA with a replay on a same-day basis, meaning a total of 12 hours of NBA action, interviews, and features daily.

During the season, each six-hour segment will showcase a live game, a classic game (something like a blast from the past), and a highlight feature program. That’s in addition to two games a week on free-TV. If you’re an honest-to-goodness hoop junkie, there’s no such thing as an NBA overload because you never get enough of a good thing.

Solar’s sports cable channel will be available to Skycable and Home subscribers as well as to 200 other provincial cable outlets. The concentration will be on sports that are closest to the Filipino fan’s heart – basketball, billiards, boxing, tennis, and golf, not necessarily in that order. Its free-TV contract is still under negotiation – the new deal will be the object of another launch, no doubt. Last year, Solar put the NBA on NBN-4.

Solar also plans to co-produce a localized version of an NBA feature show, like the "NBA Jam," that will involve sending broadcasters to report on league events on site. In the Finals last season, Solar sent broadcasters Anthony Suntay and Andy Jao to cover the series from courtside. There’s no better formula than localizing the NBA commentary to keep it close to home.

Solar’s publicist Arnold Arandilla says the NBA package lifts the Philippines to Japan’s elite category as the Asian countries with the most hours of league programming in the region.

To bless the contract, the NBA is bringing in a five-man team to Manila for tonight’s launch. Heading the cast is Scott Levy, NBA vice president of international TV and media. Levy, who’s based in New York, directs the development and distribution of NBA, WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) and NBDL (National Basketball Development League) content in all parts of the world outside of the US and Canada. He also oversees the international marketing partnerships initiatives, the distribution of new media and wireless platforms, and coordinates the development of game and non-game programming for the NBA’s international broadcast partners.

Also on the NBA team are manager of international TV Matthew Brabants of New York and from the NBA Asia office in Hong Kong, Chris Chew, Carlo Singson, and Cheong Sau Ching.

Arandilla says he expects over 500 advertisers to join cable TV operators, sportswriters, broadcasters, and sports personalities in tonight’s launch.

"The big news is that there will be much, much more NBA fare on Philippine TV than ever before," gushes Arandilla. "It’s quite a deal that Solar has negotiated with the NBA."

Arandilla says the unprecedented four-year deal ushers in a new era for the NBA in the Philippines. I couldn’t agree more. It’s a dream come true for cage junkies whose idea of fun is, literally and figuratively, having a ball.