AFTER a three-year absence, ESPN is making a grand comeback on Philippine TV and across digital platforms.
TV5 Network Inc. and ESPN have announced on Thurday an agreement for a long-term collaboration to introduce a new brand that will super serve Filipino sports fans – ESPN 5.
“ESPN’s focus around the world is simple: to serve sports fans. This long-term collaboration across television and digital allows us to jointly serve millions of sports fans in the Philippines with exceptional content and coverage. We are very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as we bring ESPN’s great content, and decades of experience in sports media together with a dynamic leader in Philippine sports broadcasting like TV5,” said Mike Morrison, vice president and general manager, ESPN APAC.
Through this collaboration, TV5’s “Sports 5” will be rebranded as “ESPN 5,” encompassing all sports coverage on TV5.
In addition, ESPN will license to TV5 more than, 2,500 hours of additional programming per year from its portfolio of sports rights, original programming and studio programs. The companies will also join forces to produce a daily Philippine edition of the iconic SportsCenter to air on TV5.
ESPN5 and the SportsCenter Philippine Edition will air on TV5’s free-to-air television channels—TV5 and Aksyon 41.
“Our partnership with ESPN, long recognized as the worldwide leader in sports, gives us tremendous upside in the quality of sports programming that we bring to the market,” said Vincent “Chot” Reyes, president of TV5.
“ESPN strengthens our current position as the country’s sports authority. It is also a testament to our belief that the Filipino audience deserves the world’s best in sports content and programming,” Reyes added.
The brand and content deal between ESPN and TV5 is part of TV5’s strategic effort to deliver the most comprehensive, wide-ranging sports coverage in the Philippine, with Filipino audiences benefitting from the combination of local and global sports coverage, exclusive, indutry-leading news and information programming from both ESPN and TV 5.
ESPN 5 on TV
On TV, the ESPN 5 lineup will consist of TV 5’s current sports rights portfolio, including the PBA, FIBA competitions, GILAS, UFC and the PSL, along with thousands of hours of new sports coverage and content from ESPN, which include more than 70 NFL games per season. These include Monday Night, Sunday Night, and Thursday Night Football games, as well as the entire NFL Playoffs. The Super Bowl and Pro Bowl.
Alongside the live games, ESPN 5 will be able to feature award-winning ESPN NFL studio programming such as NFL Live.
Other ESPN programs include US College Basketball, X Games, IndyCar Racing, NCAA college sports championships and ESPN’s award-winning documentaries, including the 30 for 30 series.