NBA PHILIPPINES has opened an office on local shores with a goal of expanding its presece in the robust Philippine market.
NBA Philippines managing director Carlo Singson said the opening of a league office in Manila will allow for a more dedicated look at a rapidly growing market where the NBA has the largest number of followers on Facebook (5.1 million) outside the United States.
“We want to help expand NBA’s global mission, which is to celebrate the game of basketball being the best sport in the world in our opinion. The Philippines is an amazing basketball market so we felt it’s time to open an office here,” said Singson, who has been working for the NBA the past 18 years.
Part of the role of the NBA Philippines office, according to Singson, is the expansion of the NBA-related business in the country.
“We’ve seen explosive growth in this market. We have a lot of initiatives done, and a lot of more exciting things to come now that we have an office in the market,” said Singons
Currently, NBA Philippines has television deals with Solar Entertainment, ABS-CBN Sports, and FOX Sports for the broadcast of 30 live games a week; a partnership with Globe for its NBA League Pass; and other partners in adidas, Alaska, CloudFone, Gatorade, and Spalding.
“We will continue to expand the business opportunities we see here, whether it’s media, marketing partnerships, merchandising, or events. There is a wide range of business that we have in this market and the opening of the office allows us to focus on those initiatives,” said Singson.
NBA Philippines also has a grassroots basketball development program in the a Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA, now on its ninth year.
“We want to give back to this country which has supported NBA basketball for so long,” Singson said.
NBA Asia welcomed the opening of the league's Philippine office, located in the Bonifacio Global City area in Taguig City.
“Opening an office in the Philippines is the next step in our efforts to grow basketball and the NBA’s popularity throughout Asia,” said NBA Asia managing director Scott Levy. “The fandom that exists in the Philippines presents an ideal opportunity to grow the game that we hope to replicate throughout the region.”