Following months of uncertainty, the NCAA is now set to find a new home with broadcasting juggernaut GMA 7.
According to multiple reports, GMA beat out TV5 for the right to broadcast the games of the Philippines’ oldest collegiate league following the shutdown of longtime partner ABS-CBN.
Tiebreaker Times said GMA won the bidding war after it was able to provide the Grand Old League with weekend time slots, something that TV5 already reserved for its new league partner for the next 5 and a half years, the UAAP.
A well-placed source said the NCAA and its new broadcast partner will have an official statement on Friday morning, November 20.
Prior to the ABS-CBN shutdown, NCAA games, most notably basketball, were relegated to weekday time slots, while the UAAP got prime weekend airtime.
Following the network’s closure, many sports leagues were then left homeless, including the NCAA, UAAP, MPBL, and PVL.
Given the uncertainties brought by the pandemic, NCAA Season 96 still has no final launch date, but the league has penciled in early 2021 as a possible start window.
Colegio de San Juan de Letran will host the new season, coinciding with its 400th year celebration. Arellano University hosted Season 95 before it was prematurely terminated due to the virus outbreak.
Only 18 out of 36 tournaments were finished in Season 95, while only 13 tournaments in 4 mandatory sports (basketball, volleyball, track and field, swimming), and two exhibition sports (online chess, esports) are scheduled for Season 96. – Rappler.com