PBA on NBN/IBC

Overview

The consortium of NBN and IBC took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television on November 8, 2002. The league considered the NBN-IBC bid because they can provide a wider coverage of the games not only in Metro Manila but also throughout the provinces. The consortium signed an agreement to the PBA to cover the games for three years, paying the league for almost P670 million. NBN began airing the PBA games with the opening of the 2003 PBA season on February 23, 2003, while IBC first aired the PBA games on March 16, 2003. The first week's ratings of the games over NBN were negligible when compared to those of IBC which had telecast the games for several years, while even the two networks combined ratings were way below those of Viva TV in 2002. The use of two networks to broadcast the PBA also led to an experiment during the first few months of the season where NBN and IBC would air separate telecasts of a game aimed at different audiences, NBN's broadcasts were more traditionally styled, while IBC's broadcasts were aimed at a younger audience, utilizing a separate pool of younger personalities. The format was eventually dropped and replaced with straight simulcasts later on in the season.

Due to allegations by IBC that NBN had not paid close to 30 million pesos in rights fees, IBC stopped broadcasting PBA games at the end of October 2003. NBN would continue on until the finals of the 2003 Reinforced Conference. The PBA gave the consortium a formal notice on December 1, 2003, to settle their debts of unpaid rights fees, that reached up to P134 million, plus the P60 million penalty due to the stoppage of IBC to simulcast the league's games, else their contract will be terminated. A bid would be held for a new contract, where the Associated Broadcasting Company (now TV5 Network, Inc.) was awarded the broadcast rights for the league beginning in the 2004 season.

Commentators

Play-by-play

• Sandi Geronimo
• Mico Halili
• TJ Manotoc
• Boom Gonzales
• Carlo Del Carmen
• Sev Sarmenta
• Vitto Lazatin
• Noel Zarate
• Paolo Trillo

Analyst

• Norman Black
• Ramon Fernandez
• Jayvee Gayoso
• Vic Ycasiano
• Andrew Cruz
• Dominic Uy
• Danny Francisco
• Quinito Henson
• Leo Isaac
• Yeng Guiao

Courtside Reporters

• Patricia Bermudez-Hizon
• Jannelle So
• Mabel Reyes
• Chiqui Roa-Puno
• Lala Roque
• Paolo Trillo
• Mark Zambrano

References

before= PBA on Viva TV | title= PBA TV coverage partners| years= 2003 | after= PBA on ABC

References

1. Navarro, June. (November 9, 2002). "PBA hands coverage rights to NBN-IBC". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
2. Zarate, Noel. (June 12, 2020). "That season when the PBA was simulcast over two networks".
3. Vidal, Reuel. (February 6, 2003). "NBN-4 ready for PBA". [[Manila Standard]].
4. Ronnie Nathanielsz. (March 16, 2003). "Parallel broadcast of PBA games begins today on IBC". Manila Standard.
5. Villanueva, Marichu. (October 31, 2003). "MALACANANG STEPS IN AS IBC OFFICERS RESIGN OVER PBA TV COVERAGE". [[The Philippine Star]].