|
BEIJING—Filipinos get to see the action in the 29th
Beijing Olympics through Solar Sports, the exclusive
Philippine broadcaster of the Games, but demand back
home arose for the competitions to be shown on free TV.
“There
has been a clamor for Solar to add more broadcast on
CS,” said Cyrene de la Rosa, Solar Sports’ project
manager for the 2008 Beijing Olympics who heads the
broadcast outfit’s team of 10 personnel here.
CS is
RPN Channel 9, which broadcasts some of the Olympics
competitions which Solar Sports could not accommodate on
cable.
The
reason for the clamor is that most Philippine households
subscribe to SkyCable, which has dropped Solar Sports
and its affiliate channels from its list. Destiny Cable
carries Solar Sports back home.
“We have
the responsibility to show as much as we can back in the
Philippines,” de la Rosa said. “And much of our focus is
also on the Filipino athletes’ campaign in the
Olympics.”
De la
Rosa’s team had brought just two backpack cameras here.
The feed for the various sports is provided by the
official broadcaster of the Olympic Games.
Solar
has bought the rights for the Philippine coverage of the
Olympic Games until 2016, interestingly including the
2010 Winter Olympics.
Solar
Sports goes 24/7 in its Olympics broadcast. Action feeds
for the 28 sports on the Beijing calendar are also aired
over BTV (Basketball TV), Jack TV, ETC and Second
Avenue.
The
broadcast outfit, which also won the rights to broadcast
Philippine Basketball Association games next season,
also offers an all-access pay-per-view privilege for its
Olympic coverage.
With de
la Rosa, the team leader, here are three technical staff
(Willie Bunales, Cris Basbas and Robenson Musni, two
production crew (director Freddie Picardal and Angelo
Pazcoguin), two cameramen (Jerry Cabrito and Ruel
Villegas) and hosts Vitto Lazatin (also Solar’s
marketing manager for basketball) and Patricia
Bermudes-Hizon. |
