THE back-to-back exits of pro champions Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz, just over a month apart, raised concerns over the PVL's long-term sustainability.
The Crossovers disbanded in December before the Angels followed suit by taking a leave of absence to open the new year, marking the league’s first major contraction in the pro era.
Both teams broadly cited business-related shifts as the reason behind stepping back after years of success and multiple title runs.
READ: Grading all PVL teams' offseason moves entering All-Filipino wars
But beyond those public explanations, PVL president Ricky Palou acknowledged that deeper financial realities are at play.
Behind closed doors, rising operational costs have become a growing concern for team owners, prompting the league to reassess how it can help keep franchises afloat.
“With our teams right now, we’re hoping that they’d be able to stay with us for as long as possible,” Palou said.
“We’re trying to look at some steps on how to make it more sustainable for them. Internally, we’ve been discussing some issues on what we can do to actually help the teams.”
According to Palou, the cost of maintaining a PVL team has ballooned significantly in recent years.
“We know it’s getting more expensive for teams to keep their teams together. I understand teams are now spending something like 60 to 75 million pesos a year to maintain a team. To us, this is a concern,” he said.
“We’d like to help the teams reduce their expense and we’re right now in talks on how to do this.”
With eight of the league’s 10 remaining teams operating under sister-team setups, major corporate backers such as Rebisco, Akari, Strong Group Athletics and the MVP Group are effectively doubling that figure, pushing annual volleyball expenditures toward or beyond the P100-million mark.
Revenue sharing model
In response, the PVL is taking its first concrete step toward easing that financial burden.
Starting this year, the league will roll out a revenue-sharing model that allocates 30 percent of its annual revenues equally among all teams.
The pool will be drawn from broadcast deals, media rights and sponsorships anew.
The first time the PVL has implemented such a system, becoming an early but significant move in its bid to build a more sustainable future for the league and its teams.
Any chance of expansion?
Following the back-to-back exits of Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz, the PVL has made it clear that it remains open to expansion and the entry of new stakeholders.
League officials have kept the door open for expansion teams, especially as the PVL looks to stabilize after the sudden contraction of its field.
As previously reported by SPIN.ph last December, provincial property developer Cebu Landmasters, Inc. and beverage brand Black Mamba Energy Drink have already expressed interest in entering the league.
READ: Two companies show interest in joining the PVL
However, both groups have yet to formalize their intent or submit official bids to become part of the PVL moving forward.
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