NBN earns Asiad broadcast rights

The National Broadcasting Network scored a big victory when it earned full broadcast rights from Asian Games marketing group Dentsu and Young.

This means Filipino viewers will have a better view and a more comprehensive coverage of the national athletes’ exploits in the country’s quest for the golds in the forthcoming Busan Asian Games next month.

"This development is a big victory for us. We really worked hard and fought for this because we don’t want the Filipino people to be denied the chance to witness the exploits of our national athletes in the country’s quest for Asian Games golds," said NBN chairman Mia Concio.

"This is the main reason why I had to forego my guesting at the PSA forum and send NBN general manager Joey Isabelo instead. Our marathon meeting started at that time and we’re very happy that our efforts paid off. We’re very grateful that Dentsu and Young awarded us the exclusivity, and also the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Asian Broadcasting Union for their assistance," she added.

With full broadcast rights, the government network will have the exclusivity on the telecast of the said quadrennial meet. Though sponsorship will pour in with this development, NBN will stand to lose P10 million as Concio estimates a budget of P125 million will be needed for the coverage.

"Just like what Joey (Isabelo) said, we are ready to suffer the consequences of losing millions in this endeavor all because of NBN’s desire to bring the games to Filipino homes and play a big part in the promotion of national pride," Concio further explained.

Immediately after earning the full broadcast right, Concio quickly organized her teams to speed up preparations for the said event. An advance party is set to depart for Busan to arrange the broadcast center, and all other necessary details for the coverage.

A pool of talented sportscasters and crew has been organized to deliver blow-by-blow accounts of the Philippines’ campaign for honors.