ABS-CBN Corporation announced on Friday that it will air National Basketball Association (NBA) games over free TV starting February 19, 2011.As part of a co-production agreement between ABS-CBN Chairman-Chief Executive Officer Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III and Solar TV Network Chairman William Y. Tieng, ABS-CBN will air NBA games and related programs, including the Pre-Season, Regular Season, Playoff and Final plus magazine shows such as NBA Action and Real NBA, over the next four years.
These games will be aired on Studio 23 and ABS-CBN Channel 2. Solar TV will still air the games daily on BTV.
“ABS-CBN Corporation thanks Solar TV Network for entrusting to the Kapamilya Network the free TV telecast of the National Basketball Association games,” ABS-CBN said in a statement.
The alliance between ABS-CBN and Solar TV, which holds the rights to the popular basketball franchise, will begin with the NBA All-Star Weekend on February 19 (Manila time).
"This historical alliance will commence on Studio 23 with the NBA All Star-Weekend taking place at the Los Angeles Staples Center. Scheduled is the Rookies-Sophomore Games on February 19th followed by All- Star Saturday Night on February 20th (featuring the Skills Challenge/Slam Dunk Contest/ 3-Point Shooting Competitions) and culminating with the prestigious All-Stars Game with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and company on Monday, February 21," a statement from Solar TV said.
“I am happy to say that both parties share a common passion for basketball and a common legacy for sports broadcasting. At the end of the day, this game is all about teamwork. With this alliance, SolarTV and ABS-CBN have a winning combination,” Tieng said in a separate statement.
"Filipino sports fans can be assured that ABS-CBN, the country’s largest multimedia conglomerate, will continue to offer only the best in sporting events and specials. And our partner Solar TV can be assured of the all-out support that ABS-CBN is giving in bringing the NBA brand closer to more Filipino homes,” added ABS-CBN Corp.
The co-production agreement between ABS-CBN and Solar TV covers the NBA's 2010-2011 Season to the 2013-2014 Season.
