Who are Dongqiudi?
Dongqiudi, established in 2013, is a platform for Chinese football fans to create communities and follow their favourite clubs from around the world, providing access to exclusive content and video. Backed by Suning group (majority stakeholders in Inter Milan), it is widely considered the number 1 football app in China having accumulated 30 million downloads and boasting over 3 million daily active users. As well as this, several premier league clubs have agreed partnerships with Dongqiudi in a bid to increase their online presence in China through the platform.
What the deal means:
DQD has ambitions of growth in China through recognition and visibility in the EPL. This deal reaffirms the status of European football leagues and the role they play in Chinese fan behaviour.
With this being the first season Premier League teams can have sponsors on their sleeves, the deal paves the way for future sponsorship deals for Chinese brands who can’t afford full shirt deals.
In the near future, sports apps will begin to challenge the mainstream media in the production of exclusive content and live broadcast options in China.
The deal reinforces Crystal Palace’s link to China and which began when Chinese player, Fan Zhiyi, played for the club. This connection will be useful in future when they make a more comprehensive push into the Chinese market.
This could be the start of more sponsorship deals with Chinese companies as clubs look to gain a headstart in the Chinese market.
Mailman is a digital sports marketing consultancy and technology company. We help global rights holders, athletes, and leagues to build a successful business in China.