PLDT and Smart to Offer Live and On-Demand NBA Games to Their 62 Million Subscribers through NBA League Pass Offerings
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, May 24, 2018 – The National Basketball Association (NBA), PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. (Smart), leading telecommunications and digital services providers, today announced a new multiyear partnership that will make available select offerings of NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, to more than 62 million subscribers in the Philippines.
PLDT and Smart are now making available select offerings of NBA League Pass to their subscribers, providing fans with access to live and on-demand NBA games online and via mobile devices. The NBA League Pass offerings include Day Pass (Php50), which enables users to watch live games for a 24-hour period. The new offerings can be accessed online and through iOS and Android phones and tablets.
PLDT Home will provide users the option to add the selected NBA League Pass offering into their monthly broadband subscription, while Smart Prepaid and Postpaid customers can purchase the Day Pass by texting NBA50 to 9999. Additionally, PLDT’s broadband and Smart’s mobile subscribers will have access to NBA highlights, game recaps and daily top plays on the official websites of PLDT Home and Smart 360.
“Filipinos have an unparalleled love for basketball, which is why the game has been at the center of our advocacy for sports excellence all over the country,” said PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Business Market Development Oscar A. Reyes, Jr. “Through our groundbreaking partnership with NBA, we look forward to empowering Filipinos with digital experiences that enrich their lifestyle whether at home or on-the-go – through our world-class partners and innovative platforms, powered by the country’s most extensive and robust fixed line and wireless networks.”
“We are excited to work with PLDT and Smart, two companies that share our passion for providing live NBA action and exciting content to our Filipino fans on the devices they use most,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson. “PLDT and Smart provide the ideal platform for us to broaden our reach in the Philippines and provide more channels to bring the NBA experience to our passionate fans across the country.”
NBA League Pass subscriptions offer fans in more than 200 countries access to a complete season of live NBA games. Subscribers can watch regular-season games, NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs, The Finals, as well as select preseason and NBA Summer League games live and in high-definition with live stats and multiple viewing options, including the NBA Mobile View, which delivers a closer shot of the action optimized for viewing on the smaller screens of tablets and phones.
Through the partnership, PLDT and Smart will also serve as official partners of NBA 3X Philippines presented by AXA, a 3-on-3 tournament featuring men’s and women’s teams and authentic NBA entertainment, showcasing their products and services at the event.
For more details on PLDT and Smart product offerings, visit www.pldthome.com and www.smart.com.ph and follow their official Facebook accounts at www.facebook.com/PLDTHome and www.facebook.com/SmartCommunications.
For all things NBA, fans can visit www.nba.com and follow the league on Facebook and Twitter.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League, set to launch in May 2018. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.4 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
About PLDT, Inc.
PLDT is the leading telecommunications and digital services provider in the Philippines. Through its principal business groups – fixed line, wireless and others – PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks. PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:TEL) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PHI). PLDT has one of the largest market capitalizations among Philippine–listed companies.
About Smart Communications, Inc.
Smart Communications, Inc.(Smart) is a wholly-owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT, Inc., the Philippines’ leading telecommunications company. Smart serves approximately 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities with its combined 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE network, providing mobile communications services, high-speed internet connectivity, and access to digital services and content to over 58.2 million Filipinos (as of September 2017), through its commercial brands Smart, TNT, and Sun. Smart also offers satellite communication services under the brand Smart World. As part of PLDT’s massive digital transformation program, Smart has committed to give more than 90% of the population access to its most advanced LTE network by end-2018, in order to support the country’s growing digital economy, as well as provide the best customer experience for an increasingly digital Filipino lifestyle.
