Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week:
NBA & Migu in Content Deal The National Basketball Association (NBA) has agreed a partnership with Chinese digital content producer Migu to deliver content to fans in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The deal is the telecommunications company’s first with a North American sports league and makes Migu, which is owned by China Mobile, the NBA’s official telecom carrier immersion platform in China. Read more on SportsPro (English) and NBA China (Chinese)
Mailman Take: Migu joins Tencent, Weibo and Bytedance as an official NBA digital partner in China. It will offer behind-the-scenes NBA classics as well as exploring new technologies such as 4K and VR to bring a more holistic NBA experience to fans in China. Tencent is currently NBA's exclusive digital broadcast partner in China, however, Bytedance, Migu, and even Alisports, add an interesting dimension to the dynamics between NBA and Tencent as the two are reportedly under negotiation for contract extension.
Saints’ Journey to the West Southampton FC, in collaboration with its official partner TLCBET, has created 18 videos titled 'Journey to The West' for the China market. The club used two Chinese influencers who travelled from Beijing to Southampton, alongside a filming crew, to create branded content for TLCBET while interacting with local fans they met on the way. Read more on The Drum (English) and Dongqiudi (Chinese)
Mailman Take: A good example of China leading the way with creative brand activations. Collaborating with Chinese influencers to generate connections with local audiences is important when telling local stories. It represents the emerging mode of storytelling, a combination of adventure and football. This series also showcases how brands can creatively work with sponsors to activate and engage fans in a fun and entertaining way.
FC Schalke 04 Opens China Office The Bundelisga side officially announced the opening of its China office in the city of Shanghai, becoming the 6th German club to open a China office, following Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern, VFL Wolfsburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and most recently Eintracht Frankfurt. Read more on FC Schalke WeChat (Chinese)
Madai Wealth Sponsors FIBA WC The International Basketball Federation, FIBA, has signed Chinese peer-to-peer lending company, Madai Wealth, as a new sponsor for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Madai Wealth will develop and run marketing campaigns throughout the tournament in China next year. Read more on Madai Wealth (Chinese)
COC Opens Lausanne Office The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) has officially opened an office in Lausanne, Switzerland, the home of the Olympic Movement. Read more on Olympic.org (English) gov.cn (Chinese)
VIVO Partners with NBA in the Philippines Chinese smartphone brand VIVO signed a partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to become the Official Partner and Smartphone of the NBA in the Philippines. Vivo will be the Presenting Partner of the NBA Playoffs Bracket Challenge and leverage the league’s youth platforms to stage interactive fan activities and showcase its latest mobile devices. Read more on CBN (English) and Sina (Chinese)
LayMau Extends BWF Partnership
Chinese baijiu brand, LayMau, has continued its partnership with the governing body of badminton, becoming one of the Official Partners of BWF from 2018-2020. LayMau becomes the first Chinese Mainland company to become a BWF Official Partner. TOTAL and HSBC make up the other official partners. Read more on ifeng (Chinese) and BWF (English)
In Other News:
Tencent Music in US IPO China-based music streaming company Tencent Music Entertainment Group has raised close to $1.1 billion in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO) after pricing its shares at the bottom of its targeted range. Read more on Reuters (English) and Xinhua (Chinese)
Chengdu Wins Universiade Games Bid 2021 The Universiade World Summer Games will start on the 8th August 2021. Read more on Ecosports (Chinese) and Inside the Games (English)
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