Asia Sports Business Weekly | 13th June

🏂 Snow League brings on Eileen Gu | 🏀 Coupang Play partners with NBA

Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from Asia.

📰 Headlines: Snow League brings on Eileen Gu, Coupang Play partners with NBA, Xiaohongshu opens first overseas office, historic Thai football deal signed, Authentic opens APAC HQ in Shanghai, Liverpool signs Baycrew’s retail deal, Hong Kong to host BLAST Premier Rivals 2025. 

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🗞️ Key Industry News

Snow League Brings in Eileen Gu Ahead of China Event

Olympic superstar Eileen Gu has signed on as global ambassador for The Snow League, bringing her star power to the upstart freeski and snowboard circuit just months before its highly anticipated China debut. The two-time Olympic medalist will headline the league's second event at Beijing 2022's Secret Garden venue (Dec 4-6), where 16 of the world's top freeskiers will compete on the same slopes that crowned Gu Olympic champion. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

💡 Mailman Take: By headlining its China debut at her 2022 Olympic venue, Gu merges sporting legacy with commercial savvy, giving the upstart league instant credibility in Asia's booming winter sports market while expanding Gu's influence beyond competition. The move also signals the evolution of winter sports toward athlete-driven entertainment. With 30+ brand deals and 90m+ social followers, Gu is uniquely positioned to bridge Western action sports and Asian audiences - potentially mainstreaming freeskiing like Tony Hawk did for skateboarding. 

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Coupang Play Partners With NBA to Broadcast Games in South Korea

The South Korean OTT streaming service has signed a multi-year comprehensive partnership with the NBA and will exclusively provide NBA games to Korean fans starting this fall. All NBA content will be available for viewing on Coupang Play through the optional subscription service "Sports Pass." Read more on Chosun (English)

💡 Mailman Take: This deal firmly positions Coupang Play as Korea’s leading destination for premium global sports content. For the NBA, this partnership presents a fresh opportunity to expand its reach and reinvigorate basketball fandom in Korea, particularly among younger, digitally savvy viewers. The challenge, and opportunity, will lie in how well Coupang Play localises the experience through Korean-language broadcasts and culturally relevant storytelling.

Xiaohongshu Opens First Overseas Office in Hong Kong

The Chinese lifestyle platform has opened its first office outside the Mainland in Hong Kong. The new office will serve dual functions: connecting overseas brands with Chinese consumers, and helping Mainland brands expand into Hong Kong and beyond. Read more on Hong Kong Business (English)

💡 Mailman Take: Xiaohongshu's new Hong Kong office marks its strategic pivot toward global expansion, serving as both a gateway for international brands targeting China's Gen Z consumers and a launchpad for Chinese brands going overseas. By choosing Hong Kong's hybrid East-West ecosystem, the lifestyle platform is testing global waters while strengthening its competitive edge as China's premier discovery-commerce platform. This move signals Xiaohongshu's evolution from domestic social media to cross-border commerce facilitator, with Southeast Asia likely being its next target.

Historic Deal to Broadcast All Thai Football Matches Live

Corporate giants Gulf Development Plc, Advance Info Service Plc (AIS) and Jasmine International Plc (JAS) have entered into a pact with the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) that will ensure free live broadcasts of all domestic leagues and cup competitions. The deal was announced at a joint press conference attended by the top executives of the signatory parties at the FAT headquarters. Read more on Bangkok Post (English)

Authentic Establishes APAC Headquarters in Shanghai

The official launch of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) headquarters in Shanghai, China, marks a “significant milestone in the company’s global expansion strategy and underscores its commitment to serving key markets around the world.” The office will support Authentic’s brand portfolio and network of partners across the Greater China region and the APAC market. Read more on SGB Online (English)

Liverpool Signs Japanese Retail Deal

The English Premier League club has signed a long-term retail deal with Japanese fashion and lifestyle company Baycrew’s. The five-year agreement will see Baycrew’s deliver the official LFC Retail experience through online and offline channels, with multiple ‘shop-in-shops’ to launch across Japan in the first year. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

💡 Mailman Take: Liverpool’s latest move underscores the club’s deepening commitment to the Japanese market, following their recent partnership with JAL and the upcoming summer tour in July. It’s a smart and timely expansion that not only strengthens their presence but also paves the way for future collaborations and fan engagement opportunities.

Sport and Entertainment Drive Uptick in Mainland Chinese Tourists for Hong Kong

More Chinese tourists visited Hong Kong alongside an increase in overseas arrivals for the first five months of the year, drawn in large part by a busy, varied line-up of major events spanning entertainment, sports and culture, the city’s finance chief said. Authorities are also hopeful this performance can be sustained for the rest of 2025, providing a bright spot amid lingering economic concerns from the COVID-19 downturn and nervousness about consumption. Read more on CNA (English)

💡 Mailman Take: Hong Kong is seeing a tourism rebound in 2025, with mainland Chinese and international visitors returning for major sports, entertainment, and cultural events. This surge, the first sustained growth since COVID, highlights how experiential offerings (concerts, tournaments, festivals) are becoming key to Hong Kong's economic recovery. If this momentum continues, it could signal a new era for the city's tourism strategy: less reliant on shopping, more focused on creating must-see moments.

Shanghai to Stage 3×3 Women’s Series Final Until 2028

The final of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) 3×3 Women’s Series will remain in China but head to a new destination, following a long-term deal that will see the event hosted in Shanghai. The city will host four editions of the final from 2025 to 2028. The exact location of the first edition, to be held on September 13-14, is still to be announced. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

Guide to Chinese Cycling Culture in 2025

Social clubs on Strava, brand collaborations, fashion inspiration: China’s youth are elevating cycling culture. Read more on Jing Daily (English)

Tencent Music to Buy Chinese Audio Platform Ximalaya for $2.4bn

China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group plans to buy domestic long-form audio platform Ximalaya for about $2.4bn in cash and stock, expanding its library of content to attract more paying users. The deal will give Tencent Music access to a diverse creator network that includes professional and user-generated content on topics spanning history, business and entertainment. Read more on Reuters (English)

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🎮 Esports

Hong Kong to Host Biggest Esports Match BLAST Premier Rivals in November

BLAST Premier Rivals 2025, an international flagship esports contest, will take place in Hong Kong for the first time, from November 12 to 16 at the Asia World-Arena. Eight of the world's best teams specialised in video game Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) will clash for a thrilling showdown, with $1m in prize money on the line. It will be Hong Kong’s largest-ever esports event, and the first esports event to receive the “M” Mark status from the government's Major Sports Events Committee. Read more on The Standard (English)

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