China Sports Business Weekly | September 22nd

Here are the top sports business news stories you need to know from this week:

Ofo To Launch BVB Limited Edition Sharing Bike

German soccer side Borussia Dortmund (BVB) announced a regional partnership with Ofo, the Chinese non-docking bike-sharing company this July. The marketing agreement sees the Bundesliga outfit collaborate with Ofo on commercial projects and activations in the Asian country, which is a territory that Dortmund are keen to expand into. During the International Championship Cup (ICC) this summer, BVB players rode across the city on Ofo’s famous yellow bikes. Meanwhile, Ofo is planning to expand into European countries by leveraging the partnership deal with BVB. According to media, Ofo will soon launch limited edition bikes around Signal Iduna Park area. Read more on SportsMoney (Chinese)

1. Mailman Take: From BVB players rode Ofo in China to future limited edition bikes in Germany, the yellow and black color appearance of Ofo bike adds more interesting collaboration elements on the BVB partnership on a global scale.

Tag Heuer Partners with CBA

Watch manufacturer Tag Heuer will be the official timekeeper and watch partner of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the 2017/18 season. As part of the agreement, the Swiss timepiece brand will support the development of Chinese basketball and promote youth basketball training. The company will also create a new CBA-themed watch as part of its Formula One Series. Read more on SportsPro (English)

1. Mailman Take: We see when brands partner with professional leagues like NBA and CBA, developing youth training programs become an important part of the agreement. This aims to support the young generation players as well as for a long-term sustainable development.

Cadillac Becomes New Title Sponsor of Wukesong Arena

Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center recently signed a new title sponsor with Cadillac. The arena was originally an indoor arena for the 2008 Summer Olympics basketball preliminaries and finals. The previous title sponsor of this arena was LeSports. The partnership was terminated in this May. This year NHL Beijing game NBA China game will be held in the new Cadillac Centre. Read more on SportsMoney (Chinese)

1. Mailman Take: If the city and arena location generate sufficient home-grown and visitor traffic, putting brand names on stadium can be very valuable for the brand and company. Stadiums and arenas are like big media market that gets a lot of media coverage as well.

Southampton FC Initiated China Expanding Strategy

Premier League team Southampton FC initiated China expanding strategy. It launched official Chinese website, Sina Weibo and Toutiao account this week. In the announcement, Southampton FC mentions that the club is looking to directly engage with more Chinese fans, look for Chinese business partners as well as involve in youth training development in China. In August, Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng acquired 80% shares of the club. Read more on SportsMoney (Chinese)

1. Mailman Take: Toutiao is one of China’s most popular mobile news apps. The name “Toutiao” literally translates into “Today’s Top Headlines”. It was founded in 2012 and has more than 600 million active users. The personalized news app allows users not only to read news, but also to browse pictures and watch videos. Besides most popular social media platforms Weibo and WeChat, organisations use Toutiao account to engage with a wider range of audiences.

Also this week:

Beijing to Host Inaugural World Series of Curling Final

The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that China will host the final of its inaugural World Series of Curling, a new annual four-leg international competition that will debut in the 2018/19 season.

Former Olympic Champion Launched Swimming Suit Brand MXW

Former Chinese diver and Olympic gold medalist Wu Minxia recently launched her swimming suit brand MXW. The brand focuses on youth and family market. The distribution channels include swimming teams, sports centres, gyms and online stores.

Tencent and Jingdong Launch CP Plan to Develop Online Game Licensing Products

Tencent and Jingdong (JD.com) launch a new CP (Content + Product) plan. Jingdong will get licensing rights from Tencent of several popular games like Glory of Kings and Cross Fire. Jingdong and Tencent will develop, promote and sell personalised online game licensing products to users based on their database and e-commerce platforms.

New Shareholders Will Take Over LeSports

According to media, a group of investors has reached an agreement and will take over 30.66% shares of LeSports from the owner Jia Yueting. The transaction is still working in the process.

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.