All 3 major television networks will carry the Mayweather-Pacquiao ?Fight for Greatness? on free TV, the first time it will happen in Philippine telecast history.
Aside from free TV, the fight that is expected to gross up to US$400 million will also be carried by 2 Philippine cable networks and in closed circuit TV by SM Cinemas nationwide.
Wilson Tieng, president of Solar Sports, said it was Manny Pacquiao himself who requested a syndicated telecast of the fight on May 3, Sunday Manila time.
Tieng told a press conference that GMA-7, ABS-CBN and ABC 5 will simultaneously show the mega fight.
Aside from Solar Sports? All Access, Cignal cable will also carry the fight live while PLDT?s Smart Communications will make the title fight available on mobile phones through subscription.
Cignal said it is selling pay-per-view offering beginning at P2,000 per buy while Smart said the subscription will cost mobile owners P500.
Solar Sports and GMA-7 said it was easy for them to decide to share the telecast rights as the May 2 title fight between two of the world?s top pound for pound boxers is one of the biggest fights ever in the history of boxing.
Solar and GMA-7 own a multi-fight exclusive contract to air and broadcast the fights of Manny Pacquiao who is a talent of the latter.
All top brass of the said cable and TV network
Manny Pacquiao training with coach Freddie Roach. Pic: AP.
s who were at the press conference said they want to make the fight available to every Filipino.
Terms of the contract for the broadcast-sharing were not disclosed but it is expected to jack up total revenue earnings for Pacquiao who owns television and cable rights for all his fight in the Philippines.
Pacquiao is reportedly guaranteed a 40 percent share in all gross revenue earnings from the US sales of their fight with Mayweather which include guaranteed purse, proceeds from pay-per-view buys, live gate, closed circuit TV and sale of fight merchandises. The fight is co-promoted by Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions and will be shown simultaneously by HBO and Showtime, longtime rival cable networks in the US.
The fight is expected to break the 2.4 million record buys reached by the Oscar dela Hoya-Floyd Mayweather bout.
The PPV is likely to reach US$100 a pop, setting up a potential US$400 gross revenues factoring the live gate tickets and merchandise sales.
