CONTROVERSIES aside, the 35th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is off to a fine start a week into the KFC-Philippine Cup campaign.
Figures released by the league Monday revealed a 55.78 percent increase in sales during the Oct. 11 opener, while another 46.74 percent increase was also registered in terms of sales for the entire playing week of the season-opening conference.
A marked improvement was also recorded in terms of gate attendance during the same period.
On opening day schedule featuring Burger King and Purefoods recorded sales of P988,730 up from last year’s opener of P634,687.
Attendance was pegged at 7,594 or about 108.45 percent increase from the 3,643 that showed up when the 2008-09 Philippine Cup took the wraps off.
The TJ Giants won the lone opening game, 93-80, marking the first and last time the 6-foot-10 Japeth Aguilar, drafted as the top rookie pick of the year, donned a Whoppers uniform.
After a week of action in the All-Filipino tournament, the league posted sales of P2,850,665, surpassing the P1,942,694 Asia’s first play for pay league earned during the same stretch last season.
Likewise, attendance improved to 28,133 from 15,086 – a tremendous increase of 86.52 percent. A banner crowd at the Araneta Coliseum showed up for the rematch of last year’s Fiesta Cup protagonists San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra and the Sunday encounter between the Kings and the Purefoods Giants.
So far, average attendance per game is at 7,035, an 86.52 percent turnaround from the 3.772 recorded last year.
“We’re very thankful and grateful to all the basketball fans who continue to support your PBA come hell or high water,” said PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios.
“In return we promise to provide with exiting and thrilling games throughout that year.”
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