MANILA – Collegiate athletes and their supporters are in for a historic opening of the 72nd season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) on Saturday. Host Far Eastern University (FEU) is set to thrill audiences with the 1 p.m. opening ceremony program at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. This will be followed by games featuring the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers vs. Adamson University Falcons at 2 p.m., and De La Salle Green Archers vs. University of the East Red Warriors at 4 p.m. As for those who will not be able to watch the UAAP season 72 opening live, they are still in for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience. ABS-CBN Sports vice-president Peter Musngi said Saturday’s UAAP telecast is the “first program on high definition (HD),” making it a “historic first for Philippine television.” It is expected that covering and transmitting the UAAP in full HD will enhance the viewing experience as the pictures are more alive and crisp. Viewers would need an HD box to get a hold of the UAAP “HD experience,” dubbed as the “second best thing to being there.”
Musngi, meantime, said that those without an HD box who would watch the UAAP on standard definition (on ABS-CBN’s Studio 23 and Balls Channel) will still have an improved viewing experience. “Mas malutong ang kulay, mas makikita ang fouls,” assured Musngi. When asked by the press how much ABS-CBN spent on HD technology, Musngi admitted that it was indeed an investment, refusing to reveal the exact amount of money used. “I can only tell you that the UAAP is worth it.” Contract concerns It has been nine years since the UAAP and ABS-CBN Sports forged a partnership. Musngi noted that 2009 is the last year between UAAP and ABS-CBN Sports. “Negotiations are moving rather well,” he told ABS-CBN News, pertaining to talks of a contract renewal. “Both sides are working together for an early resolution,” he added. Musngi also cited ABS-CBN Sports’ efforts to promote other UAAP sports apart from basketball. He, however, mentioned the “sheer impossibility” of giving airtime to all sports. “Every season, we develop at least two other sports,” he said. He mentioned that women’s volleyball is gaining ground. He explained that giving focus on basketball does not mean they are sacrificing other sports for basketball. Though he stressed, “It’s still basketball.”
source: ABS-CBN
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