Here are the top China Sports Business news stories you need to know from this week:

Mailman Launches NBA Red Card 2018 Report
For the second year in a row, Mailman has produced a comprehensive analysis on the digital performance of NBA teams, players and the sponsors. The NBA Red Card report reveals the most popular NBA teams and players online in China. Download the report for free here (English). Read more on Sport Business (English) and Lanxiong Sports (Chinese)

• Mailman Take: NBA players are free to leverage the NBA’s strength in China financially. Two of the most recent examples of this are the $80 million, 10-year deal between ANTA and Klay Thompson in June 2018 and Dwyane Wade’s lifetime deal with Chinese apparel brand Li Ning. Franchise revenue streams, meanwhile; such as jersey sales, new sponsorship deals and tourism, are becoming increasingly competitive.

City Football Group Opens Second China Office
City Football Group (CFG), the owner of football clubs, including Manchester City, and football-related businesses in major cities around the world, has become the first global football organisation to open a second office in China. The strategy for the second office is to grow the club’s fan base in China and secure commercial partners. Read more on Manchester City’s Official Website (English) and Lanxiong Sports (Chinese)

Alibaba & OBS Collaborate for Tokyo 2020
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced the launch of OBS Cloud, a broadcasting solution that operates entirely on the cloud, to help transform the media industry for the digital era. The cloud is set to be in place for Tokyo 2020. Read more on the Olympics Official Website (English)

Gordon Hayward Partners with Anta
Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has reportedly agreed to a four-year shoe offer with Chinese sportswear brand Anta. The deal also includes a signature apparel collection. Read more on Bleacher Report (English) and Sina (Chinese)

• Mailman Take: Anta was founded in 1991 and is a sportswear brand based in China. Anta is also in partnerships with Klay Thompson and Rajon Rondo. The brand had been previously worn by former Celtic Kevin Garnett, and boasts over 9,000 stores throughout Asia. The company is involved in the business of designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing sportswear, including footwear, apparel and accessories.

In other news:

WeChat Articles 2018
Chinese social media management platform KAWO has released The Ultimate Guide to WeChat Articles 2018 – the #1 reference guide to create WeChat content that people actually want to read and engage with. Download the free pdf here. Read more on Jing Daily (English)

Douyin Teams up with Municipal Government
The Chinese city of Chengdu has partnered with Douyin, the popular short-form video app (known internationally as Tik Tok). Chengdu plans to demonstrate its own personality and uniqueness with the help of Douyin. The idea behind this partnership is to highlight Chengdu’s traditional cultural aspects to a younger generation, according to representatives from Douyin. Read more on Sichuan Local News (Chinese)

From Badminton to Business
China’s first ever sports-themed immersive stage play, featuring former badminton world champion Wang Yihan, recently premiered in Shanghai. In addition to the stage drama, Wang Yihan has also stepped into the animation IP and esports industries. Read more on Sohu (Chinese)

Now you can subscribe to our China Sports Business Weekly brief and have it delivered directly to you, wherever you are.

Mailman is a leading China sports digital consultancy and marketing platform. We help global rights holders, athletes and brands build a successful business in China. Learn more about our story here

The post China Sports Business Weekly | 28th September appeared first on Mailman Group.