 | |
| Country | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Defunct |
| Headquarters | ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, Diliman,Quezon City,Philippines |
| Programming | |
| Languages | English (primary) Filipino (secondary) |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to16:9480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ABS-CBN Corporation |
| Sister channels | ABS-CBN ANC CgeTV Cinema One Cine Mo! DZMM TeleRadyo Hero Jeepney TV Knowledge Channel Lifestyle Liga Maxxx Myx O Shopping S+A Velvet Studio 23 |
| History | |
| Launched | January 1, 2008 (2008-01-01) |
| Closed | December 31, 2015 (2015-12-31) (7 years, 11 months and 30 days) |
| Replaced by | ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD Liga |
| Links | |
| Website | Archived official website at theWayback Machine (archived 2015-12-31) |
Balls was a Philippinepay televisionnetwork based inQuezon City. It was notable for being the country's first localhigh-definition TV channel. It was owned and operated byABS-CBN's subsidiaryABS-CBN Cable Channels. The network shows notable sports broadcasts from the Philippines and abroad, as well as other sports related programming. Its local programming were produced and licensed byABS-CBN Sports.
Balls was officially launched on January 1, 2008, the same day that fellow ABS-CBN subsidiarySky Cable dropped the channels ofSolar Entertainment Corporation (including the sports channelsSolar Sports andBasketball TV) from its lineup. These channels were replaced by a group of new channels owned by ABS-CBN's subsidiaryCreative Programs Inc. (nowABS-CBN Cable Channels), which includeMaxxx andVelvet. While SkyCable officials stated that the channels were being replaced to reduce redundancy in SkyCable's lineup and introduce new programming to the service, reports surfaced that the two companies had failed to reach a carriage deal sinceABS-CBN had accused Solar of cannibalizing the revenue of its over-the-air networks.[1] Some reports says that the dispute has to do withManny Pacquiao's exclusive contract with ABS-CBN's main competitorGMA Network, which Solar has partnered for free TV airing of its boxing matches.
Although Balls was intended to effectively replace it,Basketball TV was restored to the SkyCable lineup in time for the2008–09 NBA season in October 2008, and other Solar channels also returned to the lineup afterward.
It was announced that Balls and Balls HD would cease their broadcast on December 31, 2015. Its HD channel, as well as the entire channel's content (except theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) which the broadcast rights was acquired byTV5's sports division,Sports5) was absorbed to theSports + Action brand and renamed as ABS-CBN Sports + Action HD.[2]
The last program to air on this channel was a replay ofUFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor on December 31, 2015, before signing off at 12:00 MN on January 1, 2016. Cable providers still receiving Balls would see an imaging card that reads "Balls is now signing off", until the provider can replace it with another channel, while other providers likeSky Cable (inMetro Manila and in select metropolitan and large cities) have replaced this channel with a reserved channel or with another channel, with Sky Cable replacing it with ABS-CBN Sports + Action.
On July 11, 2009, the channel launched its ownhigh-definition feed onSky Cable, marking the Philippines' first ever local high-definition television channel. On the same day, Balls also televised the country's first locally produced programs in HD, which included aUAAP college basketball game, followed by anNCAA game the following Monday, all produced byABS-CBN Sports using the recently acquiredSony high-definition professional video cameras and a state-of-the-artHD OB van with technologies developed byEVS Broadcast Equipment,Snell, andAvid Technology.[3] Balls HD was in hibernation from December 28, 2009 until 2013.
Balls' initial lineup focused onball sports such asfootball,basketball,golf,tennis, andvolleyball (as suggested by its name). Balls also aired 2 of 4 TennisGrand Slam Tournament which isFrench Open (2008–2013; transferred toFox Sports Asia) andUS Open (2007–2015). Balls later expanded its lineup to includeboxing,UFCMMA events,WWE programs, and the2011 Southeast Asian Games. It also carries all the matches ofFIFA World Cup which is exclusively licensed toABS-CBN Sports. While originally airing only foreign events since its inception, Balls began to air domestic events produced byABS-CBN Sports in 2009, beginning withNCAA Season 85 andUAAP Season 72.
