AT the end of the day, the hosts had the final call.
And with San Beda University tasked to run the ship for NCAA Season 102, Cignal beat two other media entities in a bidding war to be the next broadcast partner of the Grand Old League.
SPIN.ph insiders shed light on what went on in the decision-making process among Policy Board members before ultimately handing the reins to Manny V. Pangilinan's MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. on Wednesday.
READ NCAA finds new home after signing two-season deal with Cignal
Actually, Cignal, sources say, was not even the frontrunner to land the new deal after the NCAA's five-year contract with GMA expired at the end of Season 101.
ABS-CBN was in the mix to secure the rights early this year, with proposals of the games being carried by its popular YouTube channel and a possible block timing agreement in free TV channels like Manny Villar's ALLTV2 under consideration.
Before losing its free-TV franchise, ABS-CBN owned the broadcast rights of the UAAP and other prized sports assets like the NBA.
On the other hand, Bilyonaryo News Channel, sources say, presented the strongest pitch from the get-go, offering a five-year deal that would make the NCAA the sole sports property of the fast-growing media group.
READ Bilyonaryo News Channel, Cignal in play for NCAA broadcast
The Abante-Bilyonaryo Group (ABG) promised an exclusive broadcasting deal for the league games to be carried in its free-to-air Bilyonaryo News Channel.
ABG was ready to shoulder the production costs and there was going to be a 60-40 revenue sharing split to the gross income, with 60-percent going to the network and 40-percent going to the NCAA.
Sources also bared that Bilyonaryo was planning to bring in the same production crew which handled the GMA broadcasts to ensure a smooth transition.
However, equipment were expected to be rented by the Bilyonaryo group for the Season 102 coverage, although investing in a production infrastructure was in the pipeline.
On the other hand, Cignal made a late entry to the race and came in with a two-year deal for the NCAA.
Unlike the Bilyonaryo bid, Cignal's offer would see the league pay for the broadcasting costs first before the 60-40 revenue sharing split. But what's most appealing with the offer was the broadcasting strategy and expertise that Cignal brought to the table.
Under Cignal, NCAA games are expected to be shown on YouTube through One Sports, which has garnered 5.26 million subscribers while carrying livestream of PBA, UAAP, PVL, Gilas Pilipinas games as well as other sports.
Similarly, NCAA games, under Cignal, are poised to be shown on free-to-air RPTV just like PBA games and on digital streaming through the Cignal Play app, while also getting its own Cignal cable channel much like the UAAP Varsity Channel.
Clincher for Cignal
The clincher, though, is the expertise that Cignal has, being the industry leader when it comes to sports broadcasting.
No less than NCAA Policy Board president Fr. Aloysius Ma. A. Maranan, OSB of host San Beda met with Pangilinan and sealed the deal for the league's new home.
In the agreement, Cignal will carry live games for the seniors basketball, women's volleyball, and cheerleading competitions, with live updates on other sports to be provided in its digital and social platforms.
San Sebastian, who will be the host for NCAA Season 103, will also benefit from the deal which has an option for renewal at the conclusion of the next season.
And so, the NCAA and UAAP are under the same roof yet again, just like they were from 2012-15 with Sports5 then 2016-20 with ABS-CBN.
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