GAMES FRIDAY
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – Terrafirma vs. Phoenix
7:30 p.m. – Meralco vs. Converge
AGAINST the backdrop of TNT’s highly-anticipated bid for a coveted grand slam, Meralco has set a lofty task—to stop its sister team from completing the rare triple crown conquest and defend its crown.
The Bolts kick off their title defense when they take on the Converge FiberXers this Friday, April 4, as the season-ending PBA Philippine Cup opens shop at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The match is set at 7:30 p.m. after Terrafirma and Phoenix formally open the curtains in the final tilt of the season at 5 o’clock.
With finals MVP Chris Newsome showing the way, the Luigi Trillo-mentored Meralco five pulled the rug from under favored San Miguel Beer in the Big Dance 4-2.
But the Beermen are raring to redeem themselves from a disappointing campaign in the recently concluded Commissioner’s Cup, where they failed to even reach the quarterfinals.
Then there is Ginebra, which is tired of two straight bridesmaid finishes along with Converge and Rain or Shine—teams that armchair pundits see doing well in the import-less tourney.
All eyes, however, will be on the Tropang 5G who will be hard-pressed to win it all this season—literally and figuratively.
The TNT-Ginebra title battle proved to be a big hit not just in ticket sales but in TV ratings and social media engagements.
The Tropang Giga beat the Gin Kings in the well-fought series that took the full seven-game distance, with the no-tomorrow clash drawing a mammoth crowd of 21,274 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was a giant hit on TV viewership as well, with the sudden death tiff tallying 5.1 percent NUTAM (Nationwide Urban Television Audience Measurement) rating and 4.6 PHINTAM (Philippine National TV Audience Measurement) rating.
Game views hit a peak of 7.0 percent or about five million viewers as per the Cignal TV report to the PBA board of governors in a meeting at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City, last Monday.
Both audience measurements were sourced from the survey conducted by AGB Nielsen.
“Nakakataba ng puso ang suporta ng mga fans, at ang aming taos pusong pasasalamat sa kanila,” pro league chief Willie Marcial said.
The Game 7 4.6 PHINTAM rating approximated the achievement of the Season 47 Governors’ Cup finals at 4.9 percent, which was the highest rating sports event in 2023.
Incidentally, the Season 47 GC crown was also disputed by TNT and Ginebra, with the series aired on TV5.
Now at RPTV, the TNT-Ginebra duel was also well followed, with Sunday’s duel’s viewership topping GMA’s Amazing Earth and PBB Celeb, and ABS-CBN’s Saving Grace and Liar.
All signs point to a memorable season finale that begins two days from now.
