Where "The Best Ratings Ever" Happens

In the middle of the NBA season, when the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol, many started to dream of a finals series between Boston and Los Angeles.  Why not?  The Celtics had the best record in the league and with the addition of the Spanish center, the Lakers had arguably the best starting five (5) in the world.  There were questions for both squads.  Will Pau fit into the triangle and other schemes of Phil Jackson.  The Celtics, despite their record and their talent, didn't have anyone who had a championship ring in their lineup until they signed Cassel and Brown.  

Now that all the hopes and dreams have materialized, expectations on viewership and interest have been met.  In the U.S. ratings were up almost 40% from previous year for ABC 7.  Here in the Philippines, the buzz is at an all time high.  In fact, game two (2) was the highest ever rated NBA game in the Philippines based on unofficial AC Nielsen numbers.  According to the same survey, RPN9 even overtook ABS-CBN2 and GMA7 for a short time right before noon in the 4th quarter of the game.  

Sometimes, you really just do your best to market the product and hope for the best circumstances to happen.  This is why we all love the NBA, where "the best possible finals matchup for the popularity of the league" happens.

It's Always Good to Clarify

This post is actually a clarification on a point published in a previous post and included in Quinito Henson's article.  I can take it back since I should have classified it as a personal opinion rather than truth.  Mindshare wanted some sort of retraction from the statement "overwhelmingly recommended" since according to them, they did not recommend a channel one way or another.  Maybe ABS-CBN is on their case about it.

I based that statement from the following article last May 27 written by Ronnie Nathanielsz, at the Manila Standard stating projections by Mindshare... "It was also reported that if the PBA games were aired on RPN-9, they would rate around 7.5 percent while if aired on Studio 23 they would rate around 1.8 percent."  In my opinion, if your projection is for a channel to rate over four (4) times more than another network, it is practically a recommendation.

So my apologies to Mindshare if the statement caused undue strife. I did not mean to put words in their mouth.

More Solar Advantages

Equipment.  Solar just purchased a brand new digital 6 (Sony) camera system used by the NBA to cover the games.  The system can take in as much as 12 cameras  and is capable of capturing slow motion in all cameras as opposed to only 1 slomo camera used in all of today's local coverages.  It also will have the inscriber graphic system which is the same they use in the U.S. basketball coverages.  The Sony digital cameras should also improve the clarity of signal when watched on television.

Studio 23 will most likely use the same equipment they use for the UAAP, which is the same used for the MBA.  That system is about 10 years old and although it is adequate, a lot of innovations have happened the last decade since.

A new LED system will also be installed to upgrade the current system on court being used by ABC5.  Animations and other new features will now be available for the a better and more exciting coverage.

So the graphics, clarity, and other capabilities will be the best in the country if the PBA chooses Solar.  The PBA deserves only the best and they will get it. 

Experience.  Solar has a proven sales team that can generate the revenues.  It is composed of many sales people from Vintage who generated the most tv sales for the league in its history.  The sales and marketing team also has experience from companies like ABS-CBN, GMA7, Globe Telecom, San Miguel Corporation, Ayala Corporation, Nike Philippines and MTV.  I, for one have also worked for the PBA knowing a lot of the needs of the league on how to improve things.  I also have experience working for 3 of the top 10 corporations in the country (San Miguel, Ayala Corp, ABS-CBN) so learnings from that can add to making the partnership successful.  

The Solar team also has worked closely with the NBA visiting their studios in New Jersey and has attended many NBA world class events like the NBA Allstar games and Finals where learnings can be transferred to the PBA.  The experience with working with the biggest basketball league in the world is invaluable.

As far as production goes, many from the current team came from Vintage and ABS-CBN as well.  So whether in front or behind the camera, the PBA will get the most experienced and talented crew for the games.  Production talent is not exclusive to any one network.  The best people want to work for the best properties and Solar will hire the best for the PBA.  The Solar team from production to marketing to sales to programming has as much experience if not more when it comes to sports broadcasting compared to other groups out there.

More Reasons to Choose Solar

I forwarded most of what I've written to Quinito Henson and he's agreed to publish most of this stuff on his column for the Philippines Star.  I'm adding two more reasons for this post.

Timeslot.  ABS wants to play the games on Sunday morning so they can show it on channel 2.  Although this might be something different and even worth trying, nobody will want to watch a regular PBA game live at the venue on Sunday morning.  If a big boxing event like the "Invasion" promoted through the ABS media machinery can only draw 5,000, which is about the average attendance of the PBA, it will be considerably less for a regular PBA game.  A Pacquiao fight is a 2-3 times a year event.  Having PBA games on Sunday mornings on a regular basis will not get people to skip church and family lunches on Sundays.

Solar has a solid blocktime agreement with RPN 9 which gives the outfit the flexibility to air the PBA games so all games will be given priority on the channel to ensure the exposure for the teams.  All games will also be replayed on Basketball TV.

Positioning.  Solar presented a very compelling re-positioning plan for the league and its coverage based on experience and the current situation in the market.  It is a complete makeover and change from how the current coverage was being handled.  It is the kind of out of the box thinking that can give the league a boost in popularity using principles from recent bestsellers like "The Tipping Point" and "The Long Tail".  It goes beyond showbiz cross promotions and a morning time slot.  It touches on "social epidemics" and how the PBA has to attract the select few who influence the lives and mold perceptions of the masses. Solar will bring class back to the league and attract all social classes again, not just the lower class.   (one more post on this topic after this).

Cross Promotions

This is the second in a series of posts on reasons why the board practically unanimously voted for Solar vs ABS-CBN.

Promotions.  ABS-CBN's supposed strong suit is their ability to cross promote across their media platforms.  I think many don't realize that Solar also operates 3 free to air (1VHF, 2 UHF) channels and 3 cable channels.  The ability to cross promote on ETC, 2nd Ave., Solar Sports, Basketball TV, and Jack TV along with the live showings on RPN Channel 9 is still pretty powerful.  Each channel cuts across different demographics and can really expand the base of PBA fans.  Based on agency negotiation rates, Solar offered over Php 200M worth of cross promotions spread across its 6 channels.

BTV and Solar Sports are still by far the two highest rated sports channels in the country and both cater to the core fans of the league.  BTV is also the perfect venue for replays of the games and additional footage outside of the games like press conferences, practices, and events.  Solar has proven that they can promote sports with the NBA, World Class Boxing, Poker, Mixed Martial Arts, the World Cup, PGA Golf and now the Olympics reaching their pinnacle of awareness because of the network's efforts.  

Outside of the UAAP basketball games, Studio 23 really has NOT succeeded in its sports promotions with properties like the PBL and the MBA games failing to get the desired results despite utilizing the full media machinery of ABS-CBN.  Mixing showbizness and sports doesn't always work as the PBA found out in the coverage before ABC5 took over during the VIVA days.  The UAAP popularity is as much a result of Ateneo becoming a contender as the promotions of ABS-CBN.  The UAAP was already selling out ADMU-DLSU and Final Four games before ABS started their coverage.  The fact ADMU-DLSU was also a final four or finals matchup helped incredibly.  When DLSU was suspended two years ago, revenues and attendance and ratings went down for Studio 23 despite the supposed cross promotions.  I don't have access to ratings from the 90's but I have a feeling the ratings back then when Silverstar was covering it, was not that far from  the ratings now.

Solar has proven it can build sports properties and make it bigger and better than it was before the network came into the picture.  The popularity of Solar properties are at an all time high with the NBA, PGA Golf, Boxing, Poker, MMA, Soccer (World Cup), and even the smaller leagues and sports. (more reasons to come)

The PBA Chooses Solar!

There has been a lot of speculation circulating with regard to who should get the TV rights for the PBA.  Now that Solar was given the priviledge, I am posting some elements of the presentation for many to appreciate why the board decided Solar. 

In my opinion, the process was already questionable with ABS-CBN being given an exclusive window to deal with the PBA.  This is why ABC5 pulled out noticing the inherent advantage of being able to negotiate exclusively.

Reach & Ratings.  This in my opinion was the biggest concern of the board.  There is an erroneous perception that Studio 23 rates higher than most channels outside 2 and 7.  Solar used actual AGB Nielsen ratings from the last 3 years which showed that RPN has better reach and ratings than Studio 23.  Overall, GMA is the clear leader with ABS in 2nd place.  QTV is in 3rd while ABC and RPN have been contesting the 4th spot all year.  Studio 23 at the time of the presentation was actually in 7th place behind the combination of all cable channels.  The latest numbers from early May had RPN in 4th place with the NBA playoffs in full swing and Studio 23 still in 7th behind the combination of all cable channels.

The board commissioned AC Nielsen to do a study in reach.  RPN was ahead of Studio 23 in Megamanila while the opposite was true in the provinces.  But overall combined, RPN was higher.  In fact, based on the surveys, Studio 23 reach in Megamanila was lower than ALL the VHF channels ABC, NBN, ABC, RPN, IBC, QTV and of course ch2 and ch7.  It was a glaring advantage that made a difference in actual reach and ratings.  The PBA also asked Mindshare, one of biggest and most respected media agencies in the world with brands like Ford, Gatorade, and Nike in their fold.  They are also the media planning agency of of Smart Communications, one of the PBA teams.  The agency overwhelmingly recommended RPN 9 over studio 23 based on their projections and data (also from AGB Nielsen).

The most convincing statistic on ratings was when Solar showed actual ratings of the one program that was shown on both RPN and Studio 23, which were the PBL games.  Ratings for the the PBL Finals in 2007 (on Ch9) more than doubled that of the the PBL Finals in 2006 (on St23).  Same program.  Different Channels.  Twice the ratings.  

Another erroneous perception that had to be dispelled by actual data was that the UAAP games rated higher than PBA or even NBA.  Actual UAAP average ratings on Studio 23 were only 1/3 that of PBA on ABC, and 1/2 of NBA on RPN.  In fact, even the cheering competition rated higher than the actual UAAP finals.  Even the boxing matches shown on Studio 23 rated lower than those that were shown on RPN.  Among sports programs, the RPN boxing slots rated the highest (outside of the Pacman fights which were even higher), followed by the PBA games on ABC, then the NBA games on RPN.   So the UAAP, even with all the cross promotions, has never even come close to rating better than the NBA and the PBA.

So until the time ABS-CBN decides to put all the games live on Channel 2, RPN was the better network vs Studio 23 for reach and ratings based on AGB Nielsen data.   (more reasons in the next few days)

ABS-CBN Pulls Out

ABS-CBN after having exclusive negotiations with the PBA for two months, withdrew its bid for the broadcast rights of the most popular league in the country.  The reason given was that although they were able to agree on many issues, there were a few that were non negotiable so the big network decided it wasn't worth it.

Reports from news articles state that the board had already decided and in fact had an overwhelming 8-1 vote.  Purefoods even requested to have their vote counted for this matter as they also strongly felt Solar was a better choice to make it 9-1.  So with everything moot and academic, ABS-CBN decided to pull out before an official statement was made by the PBA.  Third party groups also recommended Solar over the giant network for reasons only the board would know right now.

Whatever the reason for the pullout, Solar now has an excellent chance in getting the nod on Tuesday when the board convenes again about the matter.  Being the one who put together the presentation, I certainly believe Solar's bid was compelling with or without the pullout.  If the PBA does decide to award the rights to Solar, I will post some of the bid details here so everyone can appreciate the strength of the proposal.  It seems practically all the board members saw the merits of what was presented by Solar compared to Studio 23.