2012-13 Gross gate receipts: PBA rakes in record P200M

SYDNEY – The country’s return to prominence in global basketball and a massive fan base as clearly indicated by a record-smashing gross gate receipts of over P200 million were the highlights in the season just past in the Philippine Basketball Association.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud and outgoing chairman Robert Non were to report this to the PBA board of governors at the start of their annual planning session at The Westin Hotel here last night.

Incoming chairman Ramon Segismundo of Meralco, vice chairman Ely Capacio of Petron Blaze, Rene Pardo of San Mig Coffee, Patrick Gregorio of Talk n Text, Erick Arejola of Globalport, Lito Alvarez of Air21, Mert Mondragon of Rain or Shine, Dickie Bachmann of Alaska Milk and Manny Alvarez of Barako Bull are also here to help chart new directions for the league.

“Our mandate from the team owners is to make the games more exciting and be responsive to the fans,” said Salud. “We hope to sustain the momentum and maintain the resurgence of Philippine basketball.”

The big question is whether they can still top or even just match the extremely high bar they set in PBA Season 38.

“During the turnover of the chairmanship last year, I was apprehensive as Season 37 was a banner year. I just told everybody then that ‘I’m a fighter and we’ll do it.’ We did surpass what we had achieved in 2011-2012,” said Non.

“2012-2013 proved to be a bigger hit in terms of gate attendance, gate receipts and TV viewership. And it also happened that the country qualified for the World Cup in the same year,” Non also said.

League parity was also evident with six different teams making the finals of the three conferences.

Talk n Text won the Philippine Cup over Rain or Shine, Alaska annexed the Commissioner’s Cup versus Barangay Ginebra, and San Mig Coffee topped Petron Blaze for the Governors Cup. The previous year, three different teams – Talk n Text, B-Meg (San Mig Coffee) and Rain or Shine – also soared to the top.

Balanced and fierce competition obviously was the main staple that led to the continuous growth of pro league.

The league enjoyed tremendous increase in gross gate receipts in the last three years from P90 million in 2011, P114 million last year and over P200 million this year. Salud said they would divulge the exact figures after having presented it to the board already.

“Credit should also go to the commissioner. The board just set the programs and policies. He’s the one who carries everything out. He did with much success,” Non also said.

Salud, meanwhile, said he banked on the experience and inputs from the members of the board and the team owners.

“I had no basketball background and experience when I came in. Every time there’s a crucial, pivotal issue, I consulted and asked advice from them,” the good league commissioner said.

“This is the result – banner year each year since the time we reverted back to three-conference format in 2010-2011,” he also said.

“It’s unlike before. They were saying then the PBA was slowly becoming a ‘niche’ market – ‘tayo-tayo na lang.’ But the TV rating would show that’s not true. The gate attendance would show that’s not true,” he added, hastening to mention the all-time one-game record crowd of 23,436 that showed up in Game Three of the Ginebra-Alaska finale in the second conference.

Salud also stressed that they have the interest of the fans throughout and that’s he reason they took the lead in the formation of the Philippine team that won the silver medal in the last Asian joust.

“We were in Guangzhou, in the stands as (the original) Gilas Pilipinas placed fourth. We said ‘okay, let’s support the team. PBA players formed the team that qualified for the 2014 world meet. It captivated the hearts of our basketball-crazy nation,” Salud said.

As for Gilas’ next campaign, Salud said they’re awaiting formal words from coach Chot Reyes.

“The sooner we discuss it, the better,” said Salud.