Media and telecommunications company Cignal TV, Inc. said on Thursday that it will provide live coverage of Filipino tennis star Alex Eala at the 20th Asian Games after host broadcaster China Media Group-International Media Port (CMG-IMP) left tennis out of its stream.
“We know that the whole country is eager to watch and support Alex, especially with her being in a strong position to win a medal for the Philippines,” said Cignal FVP and Head of Sports, Sienna Olaso.
“We are putting our own resources on the ground to ensure that Filipinos are able to watch her matches despite the limitations in the host broadcaster’s tennis coverage,” she added.
Cignal said that the move comes as CMG-IMP limits its tennis coverage to highlights and Electronic News Gathering (ENG) positions for general match highlights and other post-match content.
The Philippine broadcaster has reportedly spent P1 million to establish its own camera position and digital production capability at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya, to stream the games across its linear and streaming platforms.
The quadrennial sporting event will air across its free-to-air platforms, One Sports and RPTV; pay TV platform, One Sports+; Asian Games pop-up channel 299; and digital platforms, including the One Sports YouTube channel and Cignal Play app.
The local tennis icon, currently ranked 18th worldwide, has previously won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The 20th Asian Games will run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, overlapping the China Open in Beijing, which begins on Sept. 30. Ms. Eala is set to skip the latter to represent her home country and achieve a historic feat.
The Philippines has not won an Asian Games tennis gold medal since Johnny Jose defeated Japan’s Atsushi Miyagi in the men’s singles final in 1962. — Almira Louise S. Martinez