Filipino athletes are set to fight for the flag and country this July as they compete in the highly-anticipated Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Filipino sports fans can cheer from the comfort of their homes as the MVP Group of Companies led by Cignal TV, TV5, Smart Communications (Smart), and PLDT join forces to deliver coverage of the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo starting on 23 July to 8 August.

In a virtual press conference held on 11 June, the companies bared their plans for the coverage of the historic sporting event. PLDT and Smart Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan said that the Olympic Games sparks a message of hope to Filipinos and other sports fans amidst the delay of one year due to the challenges of the COVID pandemic. 

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Cignal TV and TV5 President and CEO Robert P. Galang said, “In our commitment to providing the best sports content to our viewers, we will ensure extensive coverage and daily access to the games across our free-to-air, pay-TV, and OTT platforms, and through our partnership with Smart and PLDT.”

Filipino sports fans will gain comprehensive access to the Olympic Games right from the Opening Ceremonies all the way to the event’s conclusion, on free-to-air via TV5 and One Sports. One Sports+ on Cignal TV will dedicate a significant amount of its daily hours to broadcast the events, with Cignal also opening up two exclusive channels dedicated to broadcast the games 24/7. Cignal Play, in addition to live channels TV5, One Sports and One Sports+, will offer exclusive channels broadcasting live updates to its subscribers, along with exclusive content not available on the TV broadcast. Cignal TV’s One News leads the group’s round-the-clock news coverage, featuring results, updates, and highlights. 

Meanwhile, Smart will offer complete coverage of the Olympic Games through Gigafest.smart, on top of its already rich library of international sports and music content. The website will also feature a live stream of the games to complement the TV broadcast to its customers, along with other Olympic-related content exclusively available via the streaming website. PLDT will also offer 10 channels to select PLDT Triple Play subscribers, rounding out the group’s comprehensive multi-platform coverage of the Olympic Games. 

Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT and Smart’s President and CEO said, “It is our great pride to provide our subscribers access to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for them to enjoy this global sporting spectacle. We are also honoured to be able to show support to Filipino athletes as they embark on their journey to make our country proud and showcase their skills through sports and athletics.”

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were postponed last year due to safety issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to go on with the Olympic Games this year was made after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Organizing Committee agreed on measures to make the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe for all participants and spectators.

The Cignal TV and TV5 CEO added, “Our coverage of international sporting events will not end with the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Our viewers and subscribers can rest assured that we will continue to source and provide them with the best quality sports content which they can enjoy on multiple platforms.”