A major increase in both average attendance and sales has been achieved halfway through the semifinals of the season-opening meet, improving on the figures in the same stretch of the All-Filipino meet last year.

According to the latest numbers provided by the PBA, an average attendance of 11,300 had watched the first four games of the best-of-seven showdown between Talk `N Text and defending champion Derby Ace, and three games into the other Final Four encounter pitting the ever popular Barangay Ginebra against San Miguel.

The figures established a major 27-percent increase from last year’s average crowd of 8,900 that watched Alaska sweep Ginebra in four games and Derby Ace score a stunning six-game win over San Miguel.

In the Finals, the Llamados shocked the highly-favored Aces behind a 4-0 sweep to win the title.

Translating the attendance in terms of sales, this year’s Philippine Cup Final Four ahas lready grossed P1.1 million, a 15.4 percent increase from the P953,000 earned during the same period of the same tournament last season.

As things stand today, the league may likely surpass the gross of P75.3 million earned last season when the league played only two conferences.

The semifinals offering couldn’t get any better, as Derby Ace and Talk `N Text found themselves tied at 2-games apiece following the reigning champion’s 98-93 win in Game 4 Sunday when two-time league MVP James Yap poured in a game-high 26 points.

The Kings also got a new lease on life after averting a 0-3 hole in their best-of-seven series with the Beermen following a 95-78 win in Game 3.

The Sunday twinbill at the Araneta Coliseum proved to be a blockbuster as it drew the highest gate attendance of 17,586 in commissioner Chito Salud’s first-ever conference in the league.

The Ginebra-Air21 tussle during the decisive Game 7 of the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference Finals remains the benchmark for the league’s highest attendance at 21,200.

GMA News TV