Studio 23 airs charity match

The PBA charity match pitting products of arch collegiate rivals Ateneo and La Salle on Easter Sunday will be televised live on Studio 23, hinting at a high possibility of the transfer of the exclusive PBA TV rights to ABS-CBN at the end of the current PBA season.

PBA board chairman Tony Chua closed Tuesday a deal with Studio 23 for the coverage of the fund-raising game for the benefit of the Players’ Educational Trust Fund.

Studio 23, a sister station of ABS-CBN 2, will sell the project to prospective advertisers. Afterwards, the network will share profit to the PBA.

ABC 5 holds the exclusive TV rights on the regular PBA games up to the end of the current PBA season. The Tonyboy Cojuangco-owned network is paying the pro league P80 million in the final year of their three-year deal.

This early, sources said the ABS-CBN has had meetings with the PBA board, presenting what it can do if it is to handle the coverage of PBA games in the future.

“Basically, they’re showing their reach and marketing strength. They’ve yet to make a financial offer,” said The STAR source.

Studio 23 is likely to make the Ateneo-La Salle reunion match a showcase of what it is capable of doing. The match is presented by Yakult.

Solar Sports is another outfit, which has expressed interest on the PBA TV rights.

Coaches Chot Reyes and Jong Uichico, meanwhile, expect the usual intensity in a La Salle-Ateneo battle in the coming PBA charity match. – Nelson Beltran