If there was still any doubt as to why the Philippines is a bona fide ‘basketball nation’, then TV5’s live and exclusive airing of the still much talked about Game 7 between Talk ‘N Text and Rain or Shine during the PLDT Home Telpad PBA 2015 Commissioner’s Cup Finals should speak volumes on how much Pinoys just cannot get enough of the hardcourt action in the PBA.

With on-court controversies, off-court drama, new rivalries and the undeniably enthralling action between the two teams further hyping what was already an unprecedented match that marked a first in PBA history where a do-or-die Game 7 finals match would extend regulation to a double overtime, recent overnight data from Nielsen Media Research shows that the Kapatid Network’s coverage of the game raked in high viewership ratings, marking a total average of 6.2% AMR and 22.5% in audience share.

This proved to be more than enough to propel the telecast among the Top 9 most watched primetime shows, and the highest sporting program to be broadcast on that day in the National Urban TV Audience Measurement (NUTAM).

Aside from being the most watched offering of the Kapatid Network during the primetime block, it is also most worthy to note that at its peak, the game was watched by a whopping number of over 4.1 million viewers, with TV5 even lording over the ratings game against both ABS-CBN and GMA-7 within the channel’s coverage of the grueling overtime periods of the match. During this time, TV5 was able to rake in a remarkable average of 9.0% AMR and 34.1% in audience share.

The basketball fever was also clearly felt across all islands in the country, as translated by TV5’s dominance over the competition across key urban areas, including Urban Visayas and most especially in Urban Mindanao. The extended regulation of the Game 7 finals registered big numbers for the Kapatid Network with an average of 9.8% AMR and 37% in audience shares in Urban Visayas (compared to ABS-CBN’s 9.2% AMR, 34.6% shares; and GMA’s 3.0% AMR and 11.5% audience shares) and 9.8% AMR and 50% audience shares in Urban Mindanao (where ABS-CBN posted 6.4% AMR and 32.6% audience shares while GMA registered only 2.0% AMR and 10.4% shares).

With this historic game culminating what is arguably one of the most memorable PBA conferences in recent memory, hardcore fans and followers of the sport can look forward to even more edge-of-your-seat basketball action during the highly-anticipated 2015 PBA Governor’s Cup, as currently telecast on TV5, AksyonTV, Radyo5 92.3 News FM and via livestreaming on www.Sports5.ph.