Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals will indeed air LIVE on ABS-CBN Channel 2, preempting ‘Magandang Buhay’ and the premiere of ‘Kuroko’s Basketball’ season 3. (Promotional photo courtesy of ABS-CBN)
ABS-CBN is finally doing something right for once.
Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, according to ABS-CBN, will be aired LIVE. But since the game will be held on a Sunday in the United States (Monday in the Philippines), the game time will be at 8:00 a.m. Manila time, an hour earlier than usual.
Circumstances like this warrant a delayed telecast because of the presence of ‘Magandang Buhay’. But with Game 7 of the NBA Finals obviously the most important game of the season, ABS-CBN finally decided to give in to the viewers’ demands.
Thus, ‘Magandang Buhay’, along with the premiere of ‘Kuroko’s Basketball’ season 3, will be preempted for today, and the NBA Finals will air LIVE on Channel 2. It will still be called in-studio by Boom Gonzalez, Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras, among others, alongside TJ Manotoc on location in Oakland, California.
Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV will also simulcast Game 7 of the Finals with English commentary via ABC in the United States. There will also be a live viewing party at the NBA Cafe in SM Aura, Taguig.
The 2016 NBA Finals pits the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, and the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry. The Warriors seek to win back-to-back titles and validate their record-breaking 73-win season, while the Cavaliers look to end a 52-year title drought for Cleveland with their first championship.
The Warriors initially led the NBA Finals 3-1. But thanks to a pair of 40-point games by LeBron James, the Cavaliers were able to force a Game 7, and will now try to become the first team in NBA history to win the championship after trailing 3-1.
Replay of Game 7 will be later tonight at 10:30 p.m. on ABS-CBN Sports+Action, with another replay to be aired on an undetermined time tomorrow morning. Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV will re-air Game 7 at 7:00 p.m.
From the Tube 
Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers for winning the NBA 2016 season title. Way to go to the ABS-CBN Sports guys for a job well done.
They said they were able to air 150 games this year, more than any in one season since they got the TV rights. Regular season, they aired Friday to Sunday, plus everyday during Christmas and New Year along with other key dates. Then in the playoffs, they aired every day until the finals. Pretty much shows how very committed ABS-CBN is this year with regards to NBA coverage.
That is a benefit of having 2 channels and a network who is fully committed to its sports content. Either local or international sports, they can make it so popular like it’s biggest stars. Kaya no doubt ABS-CBN is good in anything. And I may not be shock if one day the network will fully own the TV rights of the NBA.
That will only be possible if BTV and Premium were to be sold by Solar to ABS-CBN. For now, though, Solar and ABS share the rights.
That is good kasi more people can watch the game. And at least they give in to the request of the fans and don’t think of it’s normal scheduled programming. I think now that ABS-CBN made a good decision. And the fans are happy about it. Congrats to the Cavs, the City of Cleveland and the entire State of Ohio. The drought has ended. And for the Warriors, they may not be a heavy favorite come next season but the pressure for them to win is off. Sorry if I need to add basketball related stuff in my comment.
And why not? It’s Game 7 and ABS can’t miss that, which is why it’s a live broadcast. Fortunately for the Magandang Buhay hosts, they gave way just for this moment.
We have to thank Kris Aquino for making it possible. Kung hindi siya mamaalam, maraming NBA Fans na ang maiinis. At least she is now out of ABS-CBN.
Looks like the NBA coverage of ABS post-Kris TV is worth remembering. Can’t wait until the next NBA Season.
She had her own reasons for leaving, kaya ganito ang nangyari. Respetuhin na lang natin ang desisyon niya.
Wala po bng replay ng mas maaga sa Sky?
That what both Solar and ABS said. Sorry.
Worth it sa mga NBA fans that they breathe easily but it sacrificed the premiere of Kuroko’s Basketball Season 3 and its entirety. Thanks to a 30 minute extension of UKG and the shift of Magandang Buhay.
As an admin of Phl TV through the years, I observe one member’s inis. His name is Jejomar Pacete (the weeaboo), who incessantly nags to Mr. Sunday.
My answer is way too obvious for him: “It’s uncertain when the NBA Finals will last every year; it lasts between 4-7 games and may last 2-3 weeks of June. Team Animazing is already mismanaged and way beyond their prime. If I were a consultant, they must not premiere any animes until the end of June because of the high priority special programming and must end in April or May. But because of the advancement of TV viewing technology, it’s better off dead for good. Deal with it.”
Safe to say, ABS is no longer willing to air animes on free TV. The presence of Hero (cable) and Yey! (TVPlus) makes it obsolete at this point. Also, the difference in regional network programming makes it difficult for their anime to make an impact. In essence, they’re out.
In the first place, ABS should have not announced its airing of Kuroko’s while the NBA Finals was ongoing. It’s a shame that it was postponed and then cancelled because of that classic series.
In addition to that, the aforementioned 9:00-9:30 am timeslot on the regional network stations is used by the afternoon series We Will Survive (usually bumped to that timeslot from its 5PM timeslot in Manila), so now the preempted episodes (for this week) do not get to be seen by their viewers in the provinces , so they’d end up having to watch it via iWantv instead.
That’s another problem. We Will Survive is not faring well in the national ratings because it is preempted by regional TV Patrol, and with the NBA Finals in the way, it did not air at all in the regions the next morning. Perhaps it’s time for ABS to just move We Will Survive to late mornings before Be My Lady, and then leave the 5:00 p.m. slot to O Shopping for Metro Manila viewers. Why? Because they’re having a hard time airing shows at 5:00 p.m. in the regions because of TV Patrol. With O Shopping, they can at least be more flexible and beneficial.
Maybe they could grant “batang 90’s”s wish to have an anime in the late afternoon slot, but just in mega manila. That would be awesome and they’ll score big points
That’s impossible; its national ratings will still be affected. And besides, ABS has Hero and Yey! so there’s no need for them to air animes on free TV.
Our best possible solution now is O Shopping. It will obviously be a non-factor in the ratings, but it is more flexible than either animes, Asianovelas or teleseryes. At least in O Shopping, madaling ma-preempt ito for regional TV Patrol and will not pose a risk to the rest of the network’s programming.
Speaking of WWS, it’s down to its last three weeks.
ABS must decide the fate of the 5:00 p.m. slot ASAP. More on that in an upcoming article.
I think Ralph can’t write this, for now, until its final week. Thanks for the notification.
Looks like their decision to air Game 7 last Monday LIVE paid off. It registered a 23.7 rating on Kantar vs. Doraemon’s 7.0, Pokemon BW: Rival Destinies’ 7.0, Bleach’s 6.2, Dragon Ball Z’s 7.3, Yan Ang Morning’s 5.0 (looks like the NBA Finals is that show’s worst nightmare), Secret Hotel’s 5.4 and I Heart U Doc’s 6.8.
Rare loss for GMA animes. Then again, the finals only happens once a year, so it’s just a minor setback.