Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know in this week:
Weibo Sports Forges Strategic Alliance with Mailman Group
Weibo Sports has announced its first domestic strategic partnership with sports digital consultancy Mailman Group with the aim of strengthening its presence in China. As part of the partnership, the two parties will work together on content promotion, commercial promotion and the provision of data insights to global sports organisations. Read more on ChinaDaily (English)
PGA Tour Signs 20-year Partnership Deal With Shankai Sports
The PGA Tour has signed a deal to partner with Chinese sports management company Shankai Sports to manage the operations of its China series for 20 years from 2018. The Beijing-based firm, also recently received a RMB 300 million ($45 million) investment from Yao Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by former Houston Rockets player Yao Ming, and U.S. based IDG Capital. Read more on FoxSports (English)
Mailman Take: Golf has had a rocky past in China, including the recent closure of over 100 courses and corruption links. However, the recent success of players such as recently crowned world number 1 Shanshan Feng, and Haotong Li alongside golf’s inclusion in the Olympics has provided a huge boost for the sport. With several other promising amateurs coming through the ranks, golf is poised to take a big step forward and the involvement on the PGA can only be good for that.
David Shoemaker to Step Down as NBA China CEO
The National Basketball Association announced on Tuesday that David Shoemaker will step down as CEO of NBA China following the 2017/18 season. David Shoemaker has held the role since 2011. Read more on ChinaDaily (English)
Mailman Take: During his seven-year tenure, NBA China signed a major partnership with internet giant Tencent to stream a record number of games and deliver more content to mobile platforms. It also signed a partnership with the Ministry of Education to add basketball to the national curriculum. Over 2 million students from 2,000 schools have learned basketball through this programme. The league also built three NBA-standard basketball academies in Zhejiang and Shandong provinces and Xinjiang. Under David Shoemaker’s leadership, NBA and the business of the game in China have seen unprecedented popularity and growth.
Also this week,
Manny Pacquiao to Promote Boxing in China
Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao has signed an agreement with China’s Dancing Sports (CDS), a group involved in sports development, to popularise professional boxing in China. The two parties will work together on creating the Pacquiao International Boxing Academy (PIBA), which will train and develop Chinese boxers. Read more on SportsPro (English)
Borussia Dortmund Launch New Office in Shanghai
German football side Borussia Dortmund have opened their first China office, based in Shanghai. The Bundesliga club has named Benjamin Wahl as their new head of China. Read more on SportsPro (English)
WESG To Be Held in Shandong
Alisports-owned WESG (World Electronic Sports Games) Asia Pacific tournament will be held in Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province in January 2018. Alisports holds a strategic partnership with the Jiaozhou government. WESG has the highest prize pot of any esports tournament globally at $5.5 million. Read more on SportsMoney (Chinese)
HEAD Partners with China Tennis Association
Dutch sports and clothing company HEAD signed a four-year partnership deal with the China Tennis Association. Starting from 2018, HEAD will become the official tennis ball and racket supplier for all the events and tournaments under the China Tennis Association. Read more on SportsMoney (Chinese)
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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.