The UAAP Varsity Channel is a Philippine collegiate sports channel owned by Cignal TV in partnership with University Athletic Association of the Philippines. It is the official broadcast channel of the said athletic league which airs different sporting events.[1]
 | |
| Country | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Network | TV5 One Sports |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English (main) Filipino (secondary) |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Cignal TV, Inc. (MediaQuest Holdings) University Athletic Association of the Philippines |
| History | |
| Launched | September 8, 2021 |
| Links | |
| Website | cignal.tv/uaap-varsity-channel |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Cignal Play | Watch live (Philippines only) |
| iWantTFC | Watch live (International only) |
History
editOn October 23, 2020, Cignal TV formally signed a broadcast agreement with the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) for the coverage rights of every UAAP varsity sporting events until 2026 on TV5 and One Sports, in addition to a new dedicated channel on the Cignal service.[2][3]
On September 8, 2021, Cignal TV formally launched the UAAP Varsity Channel at 4:00pm (Philippine Time) with an archive footage of the 65th season's men's basketball finals, played in 2003 between longtime rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles and De La Salle Green Archers.[4][5]
On May 4, 2022, UAAP Varsity Channel was made available through iWantTFC for international viewers.[6]
Programming and features
editThe UAAP Varsity Channel covers selected niche collegiate sporting events during their final matches (badminton, beach volleyball, baseball, and softball) in addition to its primary events (basketball, volleyball, cheerdance competition, and football). Aside from live coverage, the channel also airs its own original supplementary programming as well as archived games under the UAAP Classics banner.
Currently aired programs
editRegular
edit- Basketball (collegiate and high school)
- Volleyball (collegiate and high school)
- Football (all collegiate, high school during Finals only)
- Cheerdance
- Streetdance (collegiate and high school)
Special
edit- Baseball (Finals only)
- Softball (Finals only)
- Beach Volleyball (Final Four, Finals only)
- Badminton (Finals only)
- Table Tennis (Finals only)
- Esports
- Fencing
- 3x3 Basketball
- Ballroom Formation (via Facebook page)
Supplamental
edit- Glory Days
- School Spirit
- The Bounce
See also
edit- University Athletic Association of the Philippines
- NBA TV Philippines
- S+A (defunct)
- Balls (defunct)
- Liga (defunct)
- ABS-CBN Sports (dissolve)
- One Sports (division)
- One Sports
- PBA Rush
- Hyper (defunct)
References
edit- ^ "New channels on Cignal starting September 2021". Cignal TV. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Argarin, Carl Danielle (October 23, 2020). "UAAP finds new home in Cignal TV". The Manila Times.
- ^ Ulanday, John Bryan (October 23, 2020). "UAAP inks multi-year TV deal with Cignal". The Philippine Star.
- ^ "UAAP and Cignal TV launch first-ever Varsity Channel". BusinessWorld. September 8, 2021.
- ^ "Cignal TV, UAAP announce launch of Varsity Channel". ESPN. September 8, 2021.
- ^ "UAAP returns to iWantTFC in U.S., other int'l territories starting May 4". ABS-CBN Corporate. May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.