NBA shoots for bigger presence in PH market
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum. –NBA HANDOUT
MANILA -The National Basketball Association (NBA) continues to see bright prospects for the Philippine market this year, saying that the Southeast Asian country remains a strong market in terms of viewership as well as merchandise sales.
In a media briefing last week, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum spoke of the league’s continued popularity in the Philippines, which is long considered to be a basketball country.
“Our popularity has never been better. And I think that’s driven by the quality of the competition in the court,” Tatum told reporters.
According to the local business unit of the United States-based league, the NBA is considered the most popular sports league with a 98-percent awareness among the general population.
8.7M PH followers
It also said that its global Facebook page had some 8.7 million followers from the Philippines, the most of any country outside the United States.
The Philippines also has the largest regional NBA Facebook page with more than 5.7 million followers.
The southeast Asian country also drew the second largest average audience for the 2022 to 2023 regular season, behind only China, and registered a 12-percent increase year-on-year in April.
Its merchandising business also continues to do well in the Philippines, with over 43 local marketing and merchandising partners.
Back in May, the second and largest NBA Store opened in Metro Manila, signaling a healthy business environment for NBA’s merchandise, which ranges from basketball jerseys to caps, down to shoes and other sports apparel.
NBAStore.com.ph, which is the official online NBA Store in the Philippines operated by Titanomachy International, Inc. (Titan) delivers to 215 of the 228 cities and provinces in the Philippines to date.
Visits of users from the Philippines on NBA’s apps in mobile phones and tablets also surged 169 percent last March, according to the sports company. INQ
RELATED STORIES:
Filipinos remain one of top NBA viewers for 2020-2021 season
