THE 2018-19 season of the National Basketball Association proved to be a banner year for The Association in the country as it experienced growth across various fronts.
In numbers shared by the league’s local office to members of media last week, the NBA said it saw growth in broadcast viewership, NBA League Pass subscriptions, social media consumption, marketing partnerships and events, and merchandise, which it said is further testament to the continuing relevance and impact the league has in the Philippines.
“As we near the culmination of this incredible NBA season, the NBA’s remarkable growth in the Philippines speaks to the league’s impact and relevance to the country’s millions of passionate NBA fans,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson in a statement.
“The NBA’s commitment to innovation has provided Filipinos with a multitude of ways to experience the energy and excitement of the game. With the continued support of our partners, we look forward to building on this season’s success and taking the league’s popularity in the Philippines to even greater heights in the years to come,” he added.
As per the numbers provided by the NBA, the league said the most-watched regular-season game in the Philippines during the 2018-19 season reached a peak audience of 5.4 million viewers on ABS-CBN. Through April 2019, average audience for live NBA games was up 15% and 87% year over year across ABS-CBN S + A and Basketball TV, respectively, reaching its highest mark since the 2016-17 season.
Through April 2019, average audience of live, delayed and on-demand broadcasts of NBA games was up 21% year over year across ABS-CBN S + A, Basketball TV and FOX Sports, reaching the highest average audience since the 2016-17 season.
In League Pass, the NBA’s premium subscription-based product that gives users access to all games, live and on-demand, for the entire season, through March 2019, NBA League Pass subscribers in the Philippines increased 84% year over year, marking the largest year-over-year growth since 2012-13 season.
To date, the Philippines ranks fourth in NBA League Pass subscribers among markets outside the US and China and second in Asia-Pacific.
In social media, meanwhile, The NBA’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts have more than 10.6 million combined followers from the Philippines, the most of any country outside of the US.
Viewers from the Philippines to the NBA’s global YouTube Channel watched 5.5 million hours of content during the 2018-19 season, the most of any country outside of the US. Followers of the NBA Philippines Facebook page increased 15% year over year, making it the largest regional NBA Facebook page at over 3.7 million fans.
More local groups also saw great value in partnering with The Association as it saw a record of 14 partners in the country this season, including Vivo as official smartphone.
The Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska achieved its highest participation numbers ever in 2019 — more than 59,000 players and coaches — and has reached more than two million players, parents and coaches across more than 190 cities and municipalities since 2007.
As for merchandise, sales from the Philippines on NBAStore.com have increased 62% year over year, the NBA said.
The season is currently on its windup with the NBA Finals between the defending champions Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors ongoing. Toronto leads the series, 1-0, with Game Two of the best-of-seven series set to be played today (Manila time). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
