NOW IT CAN BE TOLD.
The way Peter Musngi put it, mounting an international sports event in the Philippines could push even a workaholic over the edge.
Musngi, vice president of ABS-CBN’s Sports and Manila Radio divisions, insisted that he didn’t need to exaggerate in describing the “historic” Manny Pacquiao-Oscar Larios showdown at the Araneta Coliseum on July 2. He said it posted ratings of 65.7 in Mega Manila and an audience share of 96 to 99 percent in urban centers nationwide.
But the whole crew had been nervous over insufficient time up till the final leg of preparations, Musngi said. A concert by the American band The Village People at the same venue had ended at midnight, leaving the team less than eight hours to set up.
In an exclusive interview, Musngi told Inquirer Entertainment 220 network employees had labored day and night for the event, which was to be beamed worldwide. Needless to say, the station’s 1,400-strong workforce was all hands on deck on the big day.
Musngi recalled: “Our broadcast consultant from the US, Frank Belmont, at first thought he needed eight more Americans to oversee the production. After an ocular inspection, he said he was confident we could do it on our own.”
His team had experience on its side, he noted. “Our sports division regularly airs the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), PBL (Philippine Basketball League), Asian Formula 3 Motoring, badminton and world poker tour. We also had a regional boxing bout, ‘Knockout.’ Manny was a graduate of that contest in 2000, when he was a newcomer.”
Serious fretting
Even so, Musngi said, owing to a slew of reasons, he became more “OC” than usual for that match.
To start with, for the ring canvas, the network had to buy the internationally approved brand Everlast. “The boxers might slip if we used any other brand,” he explained. The canvas was also a prime spot for advertisers. “The company logos of Alaxan, Smart and LBC could be seen in the top shot.” Those premium spots cost P20 million each but, Musngi hastened to add, “That was part of a package.”
It was a logistic labyrinth.
“We had 12 cameras, excluding those outside the coliseum,” the network exec said. “We had more than 30 microphones all over the place. We also had two OB vans: sports and audio. On stand by were eight ambulances. We also had to run the entire ABS-CBN network on three generators before, during and after the fight.”
His explanation: Although ABS-CBN is owned by the same clan—the Lopezes—behind Meralco, the network couldn’t risk a sudden power outage in the middle of the fight, “especially since it was being watched by a global audience.”
It was the first time they had three audio feeds—English, Filipino and Spanish—emanating from the same source, he said. “We had two American experts, commentator Col. Bob Sheridan and analyst Dave Bontempo. Sheridon was the same commentator for the ‘Ali-Frazier: Thrilla in Manila’ fight in 1975. He was happy to be back. Ring announcer was Michael Buffer. The Spanish commentator was Juan Larena.”
The network flew in Larios’ compatriot, Erika Alcocer Luna, who had topped the talent search “La Academia,” to sing the Mexican national anthem. “She took a 20-hour plane ride just for that. Bituin Escalante did ‘Lupang Hinirang’ a cappella.”
Musngi said it was also his job to make sure the round girls were well-rehearsed.
“They had to wear high heels; I was afraid they might trip. An hour before going on air, I asked them to practice walking on the canvas again,” he said.
Revenue streams
The eight girls were earlier picked in a contest held on the defunct gag show, “Good Time.”
Since ABS-CBN held the worldwide broadcast rights to the bout, the network made sure to tap different broadcast platforms and “revenue streams.”
Apart from the delayed airing on ABS-CBN 2, the telecast was beamed live, via fiber-optic cable straight to San Francisco, via partners Direct TV and In Demand. The fight was also available on the Internet, via ABS-CBN Now. “A subscriber could watch it on his computer through broadband technology,” said Musngi.
Sky Cable, he added, also offered it on pay-per-view, at P300 to P500 for each local subscription. In the US, it was priced at $29.95.
It was also beamed, “via close-circuit,” to 39 movie houses nationwide—in Rockwell, SM and Robinsons cinemas, with tickets selling at P300. There were also team-ups with some hotels for ballroom screenings.
With all those revenue streams, the network stood to gain exactly how much?
“Of course we had a target,” Musngi said. “Suffice it to say that whatever the investment was, we could expect a bit more than that,” he said.
Exactly how much was the investment? “It’s in the millions … of dollars,” he quipped.
According to the grapevine, revealed Maloli Espinosa, network vice president for Government, Corporate Affairs and PR, HBO wanted to buy the US rights to the fight for $12 million.
Musngi acknowledged that Pacquiao had asked ABS-CBN to talk with HBO, but that negotiations fell through; Direct TV and In Demand, which also airs The Filipino Channel, clinched the deal.
So is Musngi raring to do the November rematch of Pacquiao and Erik Morales?
“We’re just airing it; we’re not mounting it,” he said. “I can do another Pacquiao-Larios only after a very long holiday.”
