Ramoncito Fernandez of NLEX. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net.
Despite the apparent dip in PBA’s gate attendance last season, the numbers proved otherwise as the league even experienced a slight rise when it comes to its income.
Finance head Odessa Encarnacion relayed that the PBA had a three-percent rise in gate receipts for 2016-17, as compared to the 2015-16 season.
“Yes, we are higher compared to last season,” she said Wednesday at the league’s preseason press conference at Okada Manila.
Encarnacion, however, didn’t divulge the exact figures of the PBA’s income this year, only comparing it to the league’s income of over P200 million in the 2015-16 season.
The past year saw the league shatter gate records, largely thanks to the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals between Ginebra and Meralco that was held in the cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. The series broke history thrice, the last of which coming in Game 7 where 54,086 fans trooped to the world’s largest indoor stadium.
Coming off that momentous year, league vice chair Ramoncito Fernandez of NLEX expects the league to draw more crowds this season, especially with the influx of popular rookies like Kiefer Ravena and Jeron Teng.
“Definitely the biggest value of PBA is entertainment. As long as we make the match-ups competitive, this will make the PBA more valuable,” he said.