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| Behold the Ball of Asia at the SM Mall of Asia Complex (Image Source: ABS-CBN Sports) |
The 2018-2019 season marked a banner year for the National Basketball
Association (NBA) in the Philippines as the league saw growth across broadcast
viewership, NBA League Pass subscriptions, social media consumption and much
more.
"As we near the culmination of an incredible NBA season, the NBA's
remarkable growth in the Philippines speaks to the league's impact and relevance
to the country's millions of passionate basketball fans," said NBA
Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson. "The NBA's commitment to
innovation has provided Filipinos with a multitude of ways for them to
experience the energy and excitement of the game. With the continued support of
our partners, we look forward to building on this season's success and taking the
league's popularity in the Philippines to even greater heights for years to
come."
Here are the highlights of the 2018-2019 NBA season in the Philippines
by the numbers and see for yourself why it is one that will be remembered forever
in the league's existence in the Philippines aside from its share of great
moments.
Regular Season Viewership
The most watched regular season game in the Philippines throughout the
course of the 2018-2019 season reached a peak of audience of 5.4 million viewers
watching on ABS-CBN. As of April 2019, average audience of live NBA games was
up 15% year-over-year across ABS-CBN S+A and 87% across Basketball TV which eventually
reached its highest mark since the 2016-2017 season. As of the same period, the
average audience of Filipino viewers watching live, delayed and on-demand
broadcasts of NBA games increased by 21% year-over-year across S+A, Basketball
TV and FOX Sports which reached its highest mark since the 2016-2017 season as
well.
NBA League Pass Growth
As of March 2019, the number of NBA League Pass subscribers in the
Philippines increased by 84% year-over-year which marks the largest
year-over-year growth since the 2012-2013 NBA season. To date, the Philippines is
now the fourth country outside United States and China with the most number of
NBA League Pass subscribers and second in the Asia Pacific region.
Social Media
NBA's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) have more than
10.6 million combined followers in the Philippines which is the most outside
the United States. On the other hand, millions of Filipinos have watched more
than 5.5 million hours of content on the league's official YouTube channel
during the 2018-2019 season which eventually surpasses those of any country
outside the US. NBA Philippines becomes the largest regional NBA Facebook in the
world today after a tremendous 15% increase in its followers which now stands
at 3.7 million.
Others
NBA now has a record total of 14 partners in the Philippines following
the announcement of Vivo as the league's official smartphone brand in the
country. Meanwhile, the Jr. NBA Philippines program presented by Alaska achieved
its highest participation numbers ever in its recently concluded edition with
more than 59,000 players and coaches and has now reached out to more than two
million players, parents and coaches in more than 190 cities and municipalities
across the country since its inception in 2017. When it comes to NBA merchandise,
its sales in the Philippines during the 2018-2019 season was just as phenomenal
as usual with a 62% year-over-year increase on NBAStore.com.
