Balls (TV channel)
| Balls | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | January 1, 2008 |
| Owned by | ABS-CBN Corporation |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Slogan | Home of the biggest sporting events in the world. |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | English, Filipino |
| Broadcast area | Defunct |
| Headquarters | ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines |
| Replaced by | ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD |
| Sister channel(s) | ABS-CBN News Channel, Yey!, Cinema One, DZMM TeleRadyo, Hero, Jeepney TV, Knowledge Channel, Lifestyle, Myx, O Shopping, S+A |
| Website | http://sports.abs-cbn.com/BallsChannel |
Balls was a Filipino cable television network based in Quezon City. It was notable for being the country's first local high-definition TV channel. It was owned and operated by ABS-CBN's subsidiary ABS-CBN Cable Channels. The network shows notable sports telecast from the Philippines and abroad, as well as other sports related programming. The local contents of Balls are produced and licensed by ABS-CBN Sports.
Balls was officially launched on January 1, 2008, the same day that fellow ABS-CBN subsidiary Sky Cable dropped the channels of Solar Entertainment Corporation (including the sports channels Solar Sports and Basketball TV) from its lineup. These channels were replaced by a group of new channels owned by ABS-CBN's subsidiary Creative Programs Inc. (now ABS-CBN Cable Channels), which include Maxxx and Velvet. 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 since ABS-CBN had accused Solar of cannibalizing the revenue of its over-the-air networks. Some reports says that the dispute has to do with Manny Pacquiao's exclusive contract with ABS-CBN's main competitor GMA 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 the 2008–09 NBA season in October 2008, and other Solar channels also returned to the lineup afterward.
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