Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week, and my From the Top interview is with Li Shuangfu, President of Chinese sport business media Lanxiong Sports, where we talk about the current sports digital broadcast landscape in China. Alibaba & Suning to Team Up Chinese conglomerates Alibaba and Suning are reportedly looking to expand their relationship by establishing a joint venture dedicated to the sports industry. The deal is yet to be

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Dicos Delivers NBA Partnership The NBA (National Basketball Association) announced a deal with fast-food chain Dicos, making the Taiwan-based brand a marketing partner of NBA China. Dicos plan to engage fans with NBA-themed meals and family activities across its 2,500 outlets in China. They will also stage interactive fan events at this year’s NBA China Games, taking place on October 10 and 1

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: MORE Sports Lands in China Sports lifestyle media platform, MORE Sports, has officially entered the Chinese market with a grand launch event featuring basketball star Kevin Garnett and many local celebrities. MORE Sports is tailored for Chinese sports fans and the app showcases lifestyle and behind-the-scenes stories of popular NBA and CBA stars, ranging from cooking to fashion, music and mor

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: NBA and Alibaba Extend China Partnership The National Basketball Association (NBA) China and Alibaba Group have announced an expansion of their partnership to deliver NBA content on Alibaba’s platforms for the first time. This will also include an enhanced online shopping experience for consumers in China. The launch of an “NBA Section” across Alibaba’s platforms will leverage Alibaba’s techn

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Nike Sponsors Tencent’s LPL US sports apparel giant Nike has officially signed a 4-year sponsorship deal with Tencent for its League of Legends Pro League (LPL), becoming one of the lead partners of the top esports league. Nike will reportedly pay around $7.5 million a year for the apparel rights to all 16 LPL clubs. Read more on Lanxiong Sports (Chinese) and SportsPro (English) Mailman Take:

Welcome to the Red Card 2019 report, now in its 8th year of publication. The report identifies the number one European Football Club, League and Player online in China according to 8 metrics. The Red Card also includes the ‘China Digital Football Awards’ voted for by a panel of independent judges. The last 12 months have seen consistent growth in the football industry. Sports IPs no longer simply target brand awareness online, the challenge has been to balance this with digit

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Shunxin Sponsors Beijing 2022 Beijing 2022 has announced a new Official Sponsor, Beijing Shunxin Agriculture Co., Ltd, which produces Chinese baijiu, meat and other agricultural food products. As a sponsor of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Shunxin will provide a wide variety of food products for the Games. Read more on Tencent (Chinese) and Beijing2022 (English) Alispor

Here are the Top 10 China sports business stories of 2018: Mengniu Group Named FIFA World Cup Official Sponsor Chinese dairy company Mengniu Group became an official sponsor of the 2018 Russia World Cup. The deal included 4 categories of Mengniu’s products as their branding appeared on all key promotional platforms. It is the first time for a dairy brand to sponsor the World Cup. Read more on Bloomberg (English) and Lanxiong (Chinese) Winter Olympic Games Teamed Up with Sina

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: FIBA Signs Global Partnership with Ganten FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has announced a global partnership with Ganten, Asia’s leading mineral water supplier. The partnership will help Shenzhen-based Ganten build its brand as it expands into new markets worldwide and strengthens links between FIBA and China’s business sector ahead of next year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup in C

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Liverpool Renews MG China Deal The renewal sees the car brand’s partnership with the club continue for a third successive year. The agreement has already witnessed the creation of limited edition LFC branded vehicles, the launch of a TV commercial, and club legends attending International Motor Shows in China. Read more on Liverpool’s Official Website (English) and NetEase Automobile (Chinese

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: PP Sports Scores Ligue 1 Deal Chinese digital sports platform PP Sports has signed a three-year deal (2018-2021) with the French Football League (LFP) for the exclusive new media rights in China to Ligue 1, the Coupe de la Ligue, and the Trophée des Champions. Read more on Sohu (Chinese) and Sport Business (English) Momentum Sports Merges with CAA China CAA China has announced a merger agreem

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Alibaba Finances Suning Sports Alibaba has made a significant investment in Suning Sports as part of Suning Sports’ A-round financing. Total investment is rumoured to be close to $600 million, valuing the company at over RMB 10 billion. Alibaba-owned Youku will launch its new Youku Sports channel in collaboration with Suning-owned PP Sports, as they aim to deliver a comprehensive digital spor

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: FIBA Lands Global Partnership with TCL FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has announced a comprehensive global partnership with Chinese brand TCL, one of the world’s leading consumer electronic brands. The partnership comes into effect immediately and covers worldwide FIBA competitions until December 31, 2019. Read more on the FIBA Official Website (English) FIBA-BG Basketball Aca

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Mailman Delivers COPA90 Partnership in China COPA90 and Mailman have officially signed a media partnership in China. Localised COPA90 content will be distributed to Chinese football fans through COPA90’s Chinese social media channels. These channels will include Weibo and Miaopai. Read more on Ecosports (Chinese) and The Drum (English) Mailman Take: In the first 6 months, the main aim will be

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Zegna Launches Star Plan with Team China Ermenegildo Zegna Group has become a sponsor of China’s national football team. The Italian luxury menswear brand will launch a Rising Football Star Plan to help develop youth training across the country. Read more on Xinhuanet (Chinese) Mailman Take: Luxury brands engaging with sports organisations is a growing market trend. China’s teams can benefit

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: FIFA Expands in China with New Official Microsite and WeChat Account This week, FIFA launched its official FIFA WeChat account and a microsite in Mandarin, FIFAofficial.cn, as well as launching a special online campaign, FIFA World Cup Wish. The aim of these activations is for FIFA to deepen its online connection with Chinese fans and develop new ways of engaging with them. Read more on the F

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: CCTV Confirms Broadcasting Deal with the LFP China Central Television (CCTV) has officially obtained the broadcasting rights in China for Ligue 1. Starting from the remainder of the 2017/18 season until 2020/21, the deal was finalised by the French Professional Football League (LFP), along with beIN SPORTS. Read more on XinhuaNet (English) and WeChat (Chinese) UnionPay Sponsors International

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: FIFA Lands in China This week, FIFA announced its first official digital presence in China on Weibo – the country’s largest social media platform with 392 million monthly active users. To kick off its arrival in China, the official @FIFA account created a 2018 FIFA World Cup interactive campaign called ‘Pass the Ball’ to engage Chinese fans. Read more on FIFA Official Website (English) Mailma

Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: Germany Sign NetEase as Exclusive Media Partner NetEase has become the German National Team’s exclusive online media partner for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, following on from signing the same deal with the French National Team. This official partnership will allow NetEase to access the personality rights of players among other exclusive rights. Read more on EastDay Sports (Chinese) Mailman Take:

Dear Destination Leaders, Those of you who’ve visited China in the past 12 months will have noticed an extraordinary thing going on with people’s wallets… there were none. In just 3 years China has all but completely transitioned into a cashless society, and it’s bloody awesome (that’s Australian for great)! China’s mobile payments totaled 81 trillion yuan ($12.77 trillion) in just the first 10 months of 2017, the world’s largest volume, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.