Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week:
Messi Becomes Brand Ambassador for Mengniu
Chinese dairy giant Mengniu Group continue to make significant moves this year, signing up Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi as their brand ambassador. This news follows their recent appointment as an official sponsor for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Read more on Sohu (Chinese)
Zou Shiming Awarded Top Honour by WBC
Chinese boxing star Zou Shiming has been announced as the World Boxing Council Ambassador for peace and concordance. This award comes as recognition of his contribution to the development of boxing in China and the world. Read more on Xinhua Net (English)
Mailman Take: China’s passion for home grown sporting talent is well documented. Following Zou Shiming’s success at Olympic and professional levels, he has used his immense fame and influence to develop boxing within China, particularly at grassroots level. The future looks bright for Chinese boxing, however, the development of the professional scene is still in its early stages. There are only 900 registered Chinese professional boxers, which is far less than nearby Japan (8,000) or the Philippines (16,000).
NBA China Valued at $4 Billion
During a recent interview with Forbes, NBA vice president Mark Tatum suggested a valuation on NBA China of over $4 billion. He stated that this value is largely down to the success of their digital content distribution across China, with Tencent’s $700 million acquisition of the digital rights to the NBA in 2015 driving this. Read more on Forbes (English)
China Welcomes FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals
Chinese city Nanjing has been announced as the host for the inaugural FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals. The finals will be held from 27th June to 1st July at Nanjing’s Olympic Sports Centre and the deal will run for 3 years. Read more on FIVB (English)
Mailman Take: This is another step in the right direction for Chinese volleyball. Women’s volleyball is a popular sport in China due mainly to their global success. Their perennial contention and gold medals in both the 2004 and 2016 Olympics gave the sport a significant boost. The China Volleyball League (CVL) has begun investing into brand image and merchandising alongside focussing on increased quality of broadcasting. The league is now attracting more sponsors and the CVL’s income from copyright is now worth more than RMB 30 million per annum.
CSM Signs Partnership with Portugal National Football Team
As a result of this partnership, China Sports Media are now responsible for seeking and obtaining sponsorship deals for the Portuguese National Football Team in the region of China. Read more on Sports163 (Chinese)
Also this week:
The CSL Hires its First Foreign CEO
Guizhou Hengfeng Football Club of the Chinese Super League have officially appointed Mr. Mauro Pederzoli from Italy as its new CEO. Pederzoli has previously served as general manager and sports director at many Italian clubs. Read more on Sohu (Chinese)
CCTV Unveil Broadcasting Logos for 2018 FIFA World Cup
As exclusive broadcaster of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in mainland China, China Central Television (CCTV) have officially released two logos to represent its identity as top partner and sponsor of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Read more on Sohu (Chinese)
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