Tuesday, March, 19, 2024 07:44:45
  • Under the expanded deal, NBA would be offering its content across all of Alibaba’s platforms in China.
  • The deal also makes it easier for Chinese fans to purchase NBA league gear through Alibaba’s e-commerce platform.

The National Basketball Association (NBA), an American professional basketball league, has reportedly inked a new expanded agreement with Chinese Multinational conglomerate company, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (Alibaba) to grow their existing partnership in China.

Reports cite, under the new deal, NBA would be offering its original programming to fans across China through Alibaba platforms. Moreover, the deal also makes it easier for Chinese fans to purchase NBA league gear through Alibaba’s e-commerce platform.

According to a press release by the NBA, a new NBA section would be deployed across all of Alibaba’s digital platforms. The new section would be leveraging Alibaba’s consumer insights & technology to increase the brand’s exposure in China while allowing existing fans to enjoy engaging & personalized content and an easy access to NBA merchandise all under a single ecosystem.

The move reportedly comes under an ongoing commitment by U.S-based sports leagues to expand their reach to more viewers from several overseas markets. The NBA, particularly, has witnessed immense success in China ever since it opened its first overseas office in Hong Kong back in 1992.

The NBA also has a five-year deal with Tencent Holdings Ltd that was signed back in 2015 to allow the Chinese company to provide a NBA League Pass package to its streaming service subscribers and enable them to view a whole season’s worth of league games live & on demand.

Alibaba Group’s Vice President, Toby Xu stated that with the expanded partnership deal, the company would be able to fully leverage Alibaba’s expansive ecosystem to provide a unique digital experience & bring consumers and fans across China closer to the NBA.

According to reports, the original programming facilitated under the deal would cover game predictions, sneakers, fashion, memorabilia as well as other popular cultural and basketball-related topics.