End of an era

As my wife and some of those who know would attest, I am not too big on abrupt or last-minute changes. If such would alter my “patterns,” be it on schedule of activities with family or work, or change on how I would have to go about things, I am not really a fan.

While I do eventually warm up to such changes, especially if they are beyond my control, still I dread the process of “transitioning” in most cases. I am simply like that, sometimes to a fault.

And such feeling was what I had when I heard of the news that cable channels Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV were to cease operations and broadcast beginning yesterday, Oct. 1.

With Solar Entertainment Corporation, which owns and operates said channels, failing to renew their contract with the National Basketball Association, BTV and NBA Premium TV had to shut down.

Little had been said over what went down in the contract negotiations between the parties concerned but according to some people I talked to, Solar found it just too expensive to continue broadcasting NBA games and other league-related offerings, leaving it with no choice but to make the hard decision to discontinue.

The pulling-out of Solar of NBA games on TV marked the end of an era in local cable television and a fruitful partnership between Solar Entertainment and the NBA spanning nearly two decades.

Started in 2001 of simply bringing NBA games to Filipino households, the NBA-Solar Entertainment partnership grew considerably through the years and was credited for its role in enhancing and growing the fan base of The Association in the country.

From my end, this turn of events hit me on two levels — as a sportswriter and an NBA fan.

As a sportswriter the closure of BTV and NBA Premium TV is a big loss because I could not count the many times their offerings inspired or moved me in my writings.

The channels practically gave basketball and NBA 24/7 from which I drew inspiration from for possible topics here in this column and supplementary information on any NBA issue or stories I was writing about.

Shows like Inside The NBA, The Starters, Game Time and NBA.com Fantasy Insider, specials like the rookie draft, All-Star Games and Hall-of Fame inductions and NBA classics, among others, were steady fare for reference for me as a writer for more than a decade.

These were apart from the many BTV and Solar-initiated NBA activities I was able to attend to where I got the chance to meet and talk to many an NBA player and executives.

As a fan it also hurts to see these channels gone for the games and shows they carried were true companions from morning till night.

Watching The Starters and pre-game shows in the morning, for instance, was a bonding moment for me and my kids before they go to school (Good evening, sweet world!).

The games, some going as three a day, were go-to fare surely and were awesome “default” when nothing good was going on the other channels.

BTV and NBA Premium TV also kept me company when my brother was hospitalized for two weeks after suffering a stroke. The games kept me at ease even for a while and were a talking point with my brother and hospital visitors and staff alike.

Being a huge part of my daily activities, not to have these channels around is going to take some time getting used to, and, you guessed, it sucks.

Talk has it that Cignal and Sky are interested in jointly taking over broadcasting duties of the games but as of this writing nothing concrete has come out of it yet.

Knowing how big the NBA is here in the country, I like to think eventually the games will find a new home.

Will it be as extensive and comprehensive a package as offered by BTV and NBA Premium TV? That is another question.

Right now all we can do is wait and hope for the best. And, yes, League Pass.

Thanks, BTV and NBA Premium TV channels, for great times of hoops and more hoops.