After one year of no NBA games on local television, the league is set to return with a new partner.
NBA Philippines has partnered up with Cignal and TV5 to air league games starting July 31.
“You ask, we deliver. The NBA is back in the Philippines!”
The games will air on three channels: premium cable channel NBA TV Philippines, local channel TV5, and ONE Sports.
“The NBA restart is set against a uniquely challenging moment in time for our fans in the Philippines, who are among the most passionate and dedicated NBA supporters in the world,” said NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy. “We are excited to partner with Cignal and Smart to bring NBA games to a nationwide audience, and we hope to play a role in lifting the spirits of Filipinos by bringing our fans together through their shared love of the game.”
“We at Cignal TV are extremely thrilled to bring the world’s biggest basketball league back to every Filipino home,” said Cignal TV President and CEO Robert Galang. “Our partnership with the NBA is a huge milestone in our mission to bring the best content to our viewers and subscribers. With three channels broadcasting the games, Filipinos now have the chance to experience the NBA live on free TV channels TV5 and ONE Sports, and on Cignal TV’s NBA TV Philippines in high definition. The game we all love is now truly home.”
As an expansion of its existing partnership with the NBA to distribute NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, leading digital services provider Smart will livestream NBA TV Philippines through its new over-the-top service, which will be available exclusively to the network’s paid subscribers.
“As some of the world’s biggest basketball fans, the hunger for live basketball action is in our DNA,” said Smart President and CEO Al Panlilio. “This is why we at Smart could not contain our excitement as we partner with the NBA to bring the world’s premier basketball league to the fingertips of Filipinos. This reinforces our commitment to bring amazing experiences through technology made simple by Smart.”
Games will air on a daily basis on NBA TV Philippines.
TV5 will air games every Saturday and Sunday, while One Sports hosts one game every Monday and Friday.
The previous local broadcast partner of the NBA is ABS-CBN.
However, the NBA and ABS-CBN could not come to terms during the start of the 2019-20 NBA Season.
