Juventus Signs Deal with Costa Cruises
Juventus signed a regional partnership with cruise line Costa Cruises. The deal will assist Costa Cruises in its bid to expand throughout China and South East Asia. The two organisations will collaborate to offer guests a series of innovative Juventus-related entertainment experiences on board. The partnership will be officially launched at three events in the ports of Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tianjin. Read more on Juventus (English)
Swimmer Sun Yang on China Celebrity List
Chinese Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang was the only athlete on the Forbes China Celebrity List for 2017 which ranks the top 100 most notable public figures in China. The swimming star came in at 69th and has an estimated income of RMB 60 million ($9 million). Read more on SwimSwam (English). Review the full China Celebrity list on Forbes (English)
Mailman Take: Surprisingly, no basketball or football players make the celebrity list. Besides Sun Yang, swimmer Ning Zetao and table tennis player Zhang Jike enjoy huge popularity in China. The list is a good demonstration that, despite its rapid growth over the past 5 years, the Chinese sports industry is still in its infancy and that the popularity we have seen so far is merely scratching the surface of what is to come.
Super Sports Secures UEFA Nations League China Rights
Chinese broadcaster Super Sports Media has secured the exclusive digital media rights for the first two UEFA Nations Leagues tournaments, a new international soccer tournament. The broadcaster will show the inaugural 2018/19 competition, followed by the 2020/21 edition two years later. The financial terms of the agreement are yet to be disclosed. Read more on SportsPro (English)
Mailman Take: This deal comes in the wake of PPTV winning the rights to the English Premier League from the 2019/2020 season, which Super Sports Media currently owns. The loss of the EPL has lead to Super Sports needing to bolster their rights portfolio in this ultra-competitive market.
Qubo Becomes Official Deportivo Alavés Sleeve Sponsor
La Liga club Deportivo Alavés has agreed to a sleeve sponsorship deal with Chinese smartphone and electronics manufacturer Qubo. The players wore the Qubo-branded shirts for the first time when they hosted Real Madrid on the 23rd September. Read more on Soccerex (English)
Mailman Take: Chinese brands are actively looking for world-class sports assets to partner with. Smartphone brands are seen as a popular choice: Huawei, Vivo, OPPO, LEAGOO and Qubo have all entered into sponsorship deals with Western sports teams.
Jiannachun and Ling Long to Sponsor NBA China Games
Chinese liquor brand Jiannanchun and tyre producer Ling Long have become official sponsors of the 2017 NBA China Games. The two-game series will take place between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves in Shanghai and Shenzhen next month. Read more on SportsMoney (Chinese)
Also this week:
AreaMax Partners with China Open
American Air Purifier brand AreaMax has become the official partner of the China Open tennis tournament, part of the ATP World Tour Series. AreaMax will provide air purification services and products throughout the event. Read more on SportsPro (English)
Pocari Sweat Extends Partnership with China National Training Center
The China National Training Center recently renewed its partnership with Japanese energy drink Pocari Sweat. Pocari has been a partner of the training center since it first entered the Chinese market in 2003. Read more on ChinaEconomics (Chinese)
Referee Replays Set for The CSL
The Chinese Super League (CSL) has confirmed that it will introduce video assistant referees (VAR) later this season. The Chinese Football Association has committed RMB 20 million ($3 million) towards the use of VAR systems starting from the 28th round of games. Starting next season, it will also introduce referees from Europe and the US. Read more on Sohu (Chinese)
Mailman is a sports digital consultancy and marketing platform and a leader in the China Sports Marketing industry. We help global rights holders, athletes, and leagues to build a successful business in China.
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