| Balls | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Launched | 1 January 2008 |
| Owned by | Creative Programs, Inc. |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Slogan | Home of the Biggest Sporting Events in the World |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Quezon City, Philippines |
| Sister channel(s) | ANC, Hero, Knowledge Channel, Velvet, Lifestyle Network, CgeTV, DZMM TeleRadyo, Cinema One, Myx, BRO, Jeepney TV |
| Website | www.ballschannel.tv |
| Availability | |
| Cable | |
| SkyCable (Metro Manila) | Channel 34 (SD) Channel 167 (HD) |
| Destiny Cable (Metro Manila) | Channel 36 (SD) |
| SPC-New World CATV (San Jose del Monte and Marilao, Bulacan) | Channel 34 |
| Telmarc Cable (Rizal, Laguna and Tarlac) | Channel 33 |
| Royal Cable (Santa Rosa City, Cabuyao City, and Calamba City, Laguna} | Channel 16 |
| Kalibo Cable (Kalibo, Aklan, and Antique) | Channel 35 And selected cable TV providers nationwide. |
Balls is a Filipino cable television network based in Quezon City and the country's first domestic high definition channel. It is owned and operated by Creative Programs, Inc., a subsidiary of the Filipino media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. The network focuses on sports television, mostly notable sports events in the Philippines and abroad, but also other sport-related shows. Some of its shows are produced and licensed by ABS-CBN Sports.
Contents |
History [edit]
Balls officially launched on January 1, 2008. On the same day, fellow ABS-CBN subsidiary SkyCable dropped all of the cable channels owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation (including the sports channels Solar Sports and Basketball TV). These channels were replaced by a group of new channels owned by ABS-CBN's subsidiary Creative Programs, which also included AXN Beyond, Fox Crime, Maxxx, Velvet and KidsCo. While SkyCable officials stated that the channels were being replaced to reduce redundancy in SkyCable's lineup and introduce new programming to the service, reports surfaced that ABS-CBN failed to renew their carriage agreements because they felt that Solar's channels were stealing advertising revenue from its own over-the-air networks.[1]
Although Balls was intended to effectively replace it, Basketball TV was restored to the SkyCable lineup in time for the 2008–09 NBA season in October 2008, and other Solar channels also returned to the lineup afterward.
Programming [edit]
Balls' initial lineup focused on ball sports such as football, basketball, golf, tennis, and volleyball (as suggested by its name).Also Balls aired 2 of 4 Tennis Grand Slam Tournament which is French Open and US Open. Balls later expanded its lineup to include boxing, UFC MMA events, WWE programs, golf, and the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.
While originally airing only foreign events since its inception, Balls began to air domestic events produced by ABS-CBN Sports in 2009, beginning with NCAA Season 85 and UAAP Season 72.
High definition [edit]
On July 11 2009, SkyCable launched a high definition simulcast, known as Balls HD. The channel was the first ever high definition channel in the country, and also broadcast the first locally-produced HD test broadcasts, which included a UAAP college basketball game, followed by an NCAA game the following Monday.[2] Balls HD was discontinued on December 28, 2009, and replaced on SkyCable's lineup with HBO Asia HD.
References [edit]
- ^ "Cable company dropping Solar channels effective Jan.1". GMA News. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ "ABS-CBN airs UAAP on high-definition". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
External links [edit]
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