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| The deal is signed. UAAP, Cignal TV, and SMART now partners for the next five years. |
A new era for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
The league on Thursday formally entered into a partnership with the country's top Pay TV provider in Cignal TV, as well as with the country's leading mobile services provider SMART Communications, with the goal of shining the spotlight on the numerous student-athletes that participate in its numerous events.
To celebrate this upcoming multi-year partnership, a memorandum of agreement signing took place at the PLDT headquarters in Makati.
Representing the UAAP are Board of Trustees Chairman Bro. Raymundo Suplico, FSC, Season 83 President Emmanuel Calanog, Vice President Fr. Aldrin Suan, Treasurer and Chairman of the Negotiating Panel Edwin Reyes, and Executive Director Rebo Saguisag, with members of the UAAP Board of Managing Directors also in attendance.
Representing Cignal TV and SMART are PLDT Chairman and President Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT Group Chief Revenue Officer and SMART Communications President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio, SMART Communications SVP and Consumer Business - Wireless Head Jane J. Basas, and Cignal TV and TV5 President and CEO Robert P. Galang.
The UAAP's broadcast rights had been with ABS-CBN for the last couple of decades, before the embattled company made the decision not to pursue a new deal earlier this year. It was during this tenure that the league rose to prominence in the current sports landscape.
As the league's official Philippine broadcast partner, Cignal TV will broadcast the games live via its free-to-air channel One Sports. For SMART, they will be streaming the games live through an exclusive platform available for its pre- and post-paid subscribers, an approach that was similarly used when they broadcast the NBA games inside the Disney campus earlier this year.
Galang shares, "Our joint venture with the UAAP goes beyond being an official broadcast partner. Together with providing a superior viewing experience for all sports fans nationwide, we have put in place plans to help further grow the league and its athletes — giving more depth to our partnership." He also adds, "We are confident that this undertaking will inspire and revitalize our countrymen who have such a deep affinity for sports. From the Cignal team, and the rest of the MVP group, it is with great pleasure that we welcome the UAAP, and we are extremely excited to begin our partnership."
Panlilio says, "Our partnership with UAAP opens a lot of groundbreaking opportunities to further expand the digital footprint of the country's biggest collegiate league while we leverage on the strength of our Smart LTE and 5G networks to give viewers an amazing mobile streaming experience. Through the power of digital technology, we hope to inspire more Filipino youth to discover and cultivate their passion for sports and strive for excellence."
Aside from securing broadcast rights, both Cignal TV and SMART have committed to continuously grow the popularity of the UAAP and its student-athletes through various activities within the league's member schools, allowing it to extend such an engagement to the students.
Bro. Suplico had this to say about their partnership: "The partnership with Cignal TV and Smart will continue to bring the UAAP closer to the students and alumni of the member schools as well as the general public. We are grateful for this opportunity to showcase and highlight UAAP’s values, especially, promoting amateur sportsmanship and the well-rounded development of our student athletes, through the various platforms of Cignal TV and Smart."
The league had recently announced that it is shelving its 83rd season due to the pandemic, allowing all parties to better focus on their preparations for the 84th season this coming September 2021. In spite of the cancellation, all three parties remain committed in bringing the top high school and collegiate league back at the earliest possible time.
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