NBA finals to be broadcast live

JAKARTA (JP): Private TV stations RCTI and SCTV have been given rights to broadcast live the NBA Finals between the defending champions, the Chicago Bulls, and the Utah Jazz.

Aminuddin of RCTI told The Jakarta Post yesterday that an agreement was made with SCTV that RCTI would air four games and SCTV three.

"RCTI will air the first, third, fifth and seventh games while SCTV will air the second, fourth and sixth games," Aminuddin said.

The first game of the best-of-seven finals is at Salt Lake City, Utah. It will be on RCTI today, starting from 8 a.m. West Indonesia Time.

Aminuddin said RCTI has hired basketball commentator Ary Sudarsono and rap singer Iwa Kusuma to host the live shows. They will be accompanied by a sports journalist from a daily newspaper for each of the programs.

The TV station canceled sending a crew to the United States due to the economic crisis.

"We are planning to have the broadcast in Indonesian but we have yet to decide the presenter," Aminuddin said.

The finals will be broadcast by 93 international telecasters to more than 600 million households in 175 countries. Thirty-nine television networks will be on-site, with 20 broadcasting live on-site commentary. Two telecasters, TSI of Switzerland and OBN of Bosnia-Herzegovina will be on-site to broadcast the finals for the first time.

The NBA finals will be broadcast in 41 languages, some of which are Arabic, Malaysian, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and Thai.

AT&T and the National Basketball Association announced yesterday that Maynard Trudeau, 74, a resident of Boynton Beach, Florida, would be given a chance to win up to US$2 million in a shootout contest.

A release from NBA Asia made available to the Post yesterday said Trudeau, as well as other participants, would attempt five NBA regulation three-point shots at halftime of tomorrow's Game Two at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The first four shots will be worth $250,000 each and the fifth shot, the "money ball" will be worth $1 million. If Trudeau makes all five shots, he will be awarded $2 million. (lnt)

Schedule (all West Indonesia Time)

RCTI: June 4 at 8 a.m.; June 8 at 6:30 a.m.; June 13 at 6:30 a.m. (if necessary) and June 18 at 8 a.m. (if necessary).

SCTV: June 5 at 8 a.m.; June 9 at 6:30 a.m. and June 14 at 6:30 a.m. (if necessary)