NEWS ITEM: The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is set to turn pro and team up with Cignal TV for full coverage of the games.
What would volleyball be without the PVL?
What would volleyball be without such well-known superstars like Alyssa Valdez of Creamline Cool Smashers, Relea Ferina Sae of Petro Gazz Angels, Madeleine Yrenea Madayag of Choco Mucho
Flying Titans, Rhea Katrina Dimaculangan of PLDT Home Fibr Hitters?
And what would volleyball be without a comprehensive TV coverage that would bring first-class action straight to the Filipino sports fans’ homes?
Well, you do not want to know.
Some say it would be like a day without sunshine. Or a night without stars.
A game without action. Ho-hum.
But the entire volleyball nation need not worry even in this pandemic-interrupted year.
The PVL, the country’s most popular volleyball league and home of the best and the brightest players, is set to open a new season next month.
Now the only professional volleyball league sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the PVL hopes to bring the same old action-packed games aimed at putting the loyal volleyball fans on the edge of their seats, with a smile on their faces.
The Sports Vision Managenent Group-organized PVL will have plenty of help from Cignal TV’s One Sports.
One Sports, an all-sports, free-to-air channel showcasing the deepest library of programming, will be PVL’s newest partner to bring professional volleyball action in this time of the pandemic.
PVL games can now be seen on both Cignal’s One Sports and also on TV5.
And as we all know by now, this partnership of the PVL and Cignal TV is good — very good even — for the game of volleyball.
With PVL’s entry, Cignal burnishes its reputation as the home of the Philippine sporting excellence.
Cignal is already the official broadcaster of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the US-based National Basketball Association (NBA), considered as the most popular basketball league in the world.
And recently, the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) is also now on board.
With the worldwide lockdown in sports, One Sports has also adapted its programming by producing a new and original show – Sports Page, for in-depth analysis and news on the sporting scene.
One Sports, which resumed airing during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown/quarantine, also continues to broadcast current, live sports programs despite the situation.
Of course, Filipino NBA fans love Cignal for bringing back the NBA to Philippine TV and allowing them to see their favorite players such as LeBron James of NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee Bucks in action again.
Aside from the NBA, the other top-rated sports shows now on One Sports are One Championship, UFC Fight Night, The Nationals, WWE, Sports Page, The Basketball Tournament, among others.
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No less than GAB Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra welcomed the decision of the PVL to turn pro and continue to help promote volleyball during the pandemic.
A three-time lawmaker, Mitra said he is confident the PVL officials and team members will be able to follow the strict health and safety protocols being implemented by the IATF (Inter-Agency
Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) to ensure the safe conduct of the games.
“We welcome the decision of the PVL to turn professional. This is a win-win solution, so we can resume our volleyball activities this year even with the pandemic,” Mitra told sportswriters.
NOTES — The Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) is pushing through with a unique kind of ceremony for its annual awards.
Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the Philippines’ oldest media organization will be doing a virtual edition of its awards night on March 27.
While some guests would be invited to attend the event in person at the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong City, the PSA Annual Awards Night will be mainly done through video conferencing.
The PSA Awards will honor the Filipino athletes who never wavered despite the pandemic and excelled in the sports they are in.
Like the previous editions, the Athlete of the Year will be the main highlight of the awarding ceremony.
Last year, the entire Philippine team that played in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was given the Athletes of the Year award for taking home the overall title of the regional biennial meet.
Also to be handed out are the Executive of the Year, President’s Award, National Sports Association of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award along with some other citations.
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