The biggest news in October was President Xi’s trip to City Football Group’s headquarters in Manchester as part of his state-visit to the UK, however, there were plenty of other deals that happened throughout the month.
1. NBA and teams strike a series of deals
The Charlotte Hornets and LA Clippers visited China for two games as part of the NBA Global Games series. During the trip, the NBA extended their partnership with Harbin as the official China beer partner. Meanwhile, ZTE, the smartphone provider, announced a new deal to become the “Official Smartphone of the Chicago Bulls” and a “Smartphone Partner of the Cleveland Cavaliers’.
2. FC Barcelona announced their second China football school
The club announced the football school in Qingdao would be developed in partnership with Huanghai Pharmaceutical, one of the main pharmaceutical companies of China. The new school would provide Chinese children with the opportunity to train with the same system as the famed La Masia academy.
3. PPTV seals deal with the China University Football League
The 3 year deal will see PPTV Sports live broadcast parts of the 1,500+ game season through its online video platform. The China University Football League is the number one most participated soccer league for students in China.
4. Netease agrees deal with China Swimming Association
The media giant finalized a new deal with the CSA to become the exclusive online media partner during the 2016 Rio Olympics. The partnership will see Netease promote the CSA athletes and teams to a huge audience. Netease also announced that Ning Zetao would become their official brand ambassador.
5. LeTV partner with Asian Football Confederation and Ajax
No month would be complete without LeTV flexing their financial muscles. October saw them purchase the media rights for all Asian Football Confederation events in China from 2017 to 2020. The deal is worth an estimated US$110 million. Meanwhile, LeTV also agreed a new 3 year deal with Ajax to become the exclusive media partner.
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