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| (Image Source: CNN Philippines/PBA) |
Filipinos' love for basketball comes front and center amidst the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) officially resumes its 45th season with live games airing daily via TV5 and One Sports on free TV and in high-definition through PBA Rush on Cignal TV. With the ongoing resumption, the league aims to be the pioneer in the return of live local sporting events and paves the way for sports leagues to resume play given the 'new normal' situation, delighting generations of their loyal followers.
The league's 45th season campaign, "Tayo Ang Bida", emphasized the fans and those working behind the scenes of every PBA game as the true MVPs - inspiring an insightful look at the PBA, going beyond the star power of the iconic teams, renouned players and coaches, and giving the spotlight to the fans and crew who make the games more meaningful and memorable. Due to the current public health situation, the campaign has evolved with a newfound purpose of inspiring hope, positivity and camaraderie through sports. Prompted by the bravery displayed by the frontliners who are deemed as today's modern heroes, PBA pays tribute to the real-life 'Bidas' who have been the primary agents of basketball's revival in the country and those who have given an immeasurable contribution to the country in times of need.
With the league committed to be a source of entertainment and a symbol of inspiration and hope through unprecedented and challenging times, various content from within the PBA Bubble will be released on a daily basis on top of the live games across TV, digital and various news platforms. Exclusive daily updates from inside the bubble and messages from some of the top players will become available online to give fans a glimpse of into the life of their favorite teams and players inside the bubble. In addition, fans will be present virtually through a virtual mural flashed on the LED screen giving players the chance to see and hear them live and, at the same time, in order for the fans to feel like they are watching a live PBA game inside the arena.
Furthermore, every game taking place inside the PBA Bubble is powered by Smart 5G where players, coaches, staff and media can experience and enjoy faster fiber-esque speeds on their mobile devices, making the league the first 5G-powered live sports broadcast in the Philippines. In addition, Smart Communications has provided the bubble with ball-tracking cameras as well as heat-sensing cameras in order to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the players, coaches, team staff, league crew and journalists in every game throughout the course of the resumption. All PBA Bubble games are played inside the Angeles University Foundation Gymnasium in Pampanga adjacent to the Clark Freeport and will follow a single round-robin elimination format followed by the quarterfinals (twice-to-beat advantage for the top four teams), then the best-of-five series semifinals, and finally, the best-of-seven series finals for the top two teams that will determine the conference champion.
There will be two PBA Bubble games per day with the first game to be held at 4:30 pm followed by the second game starting at 6:45 pm. Fans and sports enthusiasts can watch the games live every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on TV5. They can also tune in daily on their television screens via One Sports (free TV channel 41, Cignal channel 6, SKYcable channel 10) and PBA Rush on Cignal (SD channel 90 and HD channel 260), radio via Radyo5 92.3 News FM, and online via live streaming on Facebook, YouTube and Cignal Play so that they can't miss all the action of PBA's resumption during the holiday season.
