Photo from Solar Entertainment
The dispute between Solar Entertainment and ABS-CBN over the airing of NBA games continues.
The Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court issued an order “to garnish the bank accounts and other assets of ABS-CBN and Sky Cable for PHP 659.458 million in unpaid carriage fees.
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Solar was also required by the Mandaluyong RTC to post a bond for P659 million, the amount it is trying to collect from ABS-CBN.
The trial court ruled in favor of Solar, saying:
“It needs to be stressed herein that the expiration of the Channel Carriage Agreements and the execution of the Television License Agreement with NBA did not relieve Sky Cable of its obligation to pay channel carriage fees. The basis of the channel carriage fees is Sky Cable’s continuous airing of NBA Premium TV and BTV which was tolerated by SOLAR.
This created an implied contract between the two. ABS-CBN in collusion with Sky Cable had no intention to pay such channel carriage fees as their objective is to become the exclusive licensee of NBA, thereby gaining full control and exclusive rights to the broadcast of NBA games in the Philippines.
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UPDATE: The court on May 29 granted a motion to lift the attachment and garnishment which ABS-CBN and Sky Cable filed. As of posting, there is no effective attachment or garnishment over any ABS-CBN or Sky Cable asset of ABS-CBN.
The fight between the two networks has caused dissatisfaction from Filipino NBA fans, especially because it unraveled during the NBA playoffs.
