MANILA, Philippines—Rivalries in college sports may pack the Araneta Coliseum and the NBA may be basketball’s favorite television fare. But where Solar Sports is concerned, the Philippine Basketball Association is still No. 1 where it counts.

“There are still fans who go out and watch their favorite teams,” Jude Turcuato, Solar Sports vice president for sales marketing, told sportswriters at the PSA Forum Tuesday.

The part-time television broadcaster knows how big the lure of college basketball is, having spent years covering the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry in the UAAP and has the license to make comparison. But even then, he is not relying on experience alone to justify Solar Sports’ chase for the right to air the PBA games.

“Despite the perception that the PBA has slipped in terms of ratings, it still has shown that it has higher (ratings) than any other sports in town, be it the NBA, the UAAP or NCAA,” Turcuato said.

He cited surveys and figures made by at least two independent media agencies about the viability and popularity of the 34-year-old pro league.

“Even in ticket sales and attendance, PBA remains on top,” Torcuato said.

Solar Entertainment clinched a three-year deal last week to be the new television partner of the PBA. The contract hovered close to P500 million and immediately starts during the annual PBA Rookie Draft that formally kicks off the league’s 2008-09 season. Francis Ochoa