Long term marketing and promotional efforts of the CBA and Infront pay off - Sponsorship support and official online ballot soars to new heights

Zug, Switzerland/Guangzhou, China, 17 February 2012 – The 2012 CBA All-Star weekend, taking place on 18 and 19 February 2012 at the Guangzhou International Sports Arena, registers a continued rise in popularity and marketing appeal. A total of 174 reporters from print, online and broadcast media are already accredited to cover the event with 15,500 tickets being sold as of today. The CBA All-Star game, which has benefitted from all round success and sustained growth since Infront’s partnership with the CBA began over seven years ago, will again underline its status as one of the sports and entertainment highlights of the Chinese sporting year.

Millions of votes received for online ballot
The CBA All-Star Game brings together the very best of Chinese basketball talent to play a one off exhibition game. Participating teams were selected from an online fan ballot hosted by the CBA website and handled by Sohu.com, one of Chinas largest Chinese portals. The number of fans participating in the ballot increased by 25 per cent – from 855,879 in 2011 to 1,072,858 in 2012.

The Chinese basketball star and former NBA player Wang Zhizhi (now playing for Bayi) received 814,670 votes in total and enjoyed a two-year consecutive leading position in the ballot. He will play in the South team. Another former NBA star, Stephon Marbury, also secured a position in the starting five of the North Team.

Mr. Liu Xiaonong, the Vice President of CBA, said: “The CBA All-Star Weekend is a showcase for the top national basketball stars, outstanding new generation players as well as well-known foreign players in the League. Fans can once again look forward to a major sports and entertainment highlight – whether they are onsite or witnessing the event live on TV. This year’s game will prove once more the quality and high level of Chinese basketball and we are highly confident in its on-going success.”

Increased levels of TV exposure expected
This year, media rights agreements have been secured with a variety of networks, suggesting an increase in levels of exposure over last year’s event which reached an impressive cumulative audience of 108 million over the course of the weekend. The TV channels CCTV-5, Beijing TV and Guangdong TV (GDTV) as well as the digital media group PERFORM on its online platforms will cover the event, whilst One World Sports will air delayed broadcasts in the territory of North America.

Basketball sponsorship as an efficient marketing tool
The notable marketing success of the CBA All-Star Game demonstrates the increasing and sustained value of Chinese basketball as an effective marketing platform. A line-up of international and domestic brands has been secured for the three sponsorship categories: one Main Sponsor, four Official Partners and five Official Sponsors. There are also 16 Official Vendors.

The game’s Official Main Sponsor is Anta, one of China’s leading sports apparel companies and a loyal supporter of the CBA League. The four Official Partners are China Mobile (telecommunications); Sohu.com (portal website); PPTV (video website) and UPS (express and logistics). The five Official Sponsors include Konica Minolta (office equipment); Nike (Official Ball); TCL Corporation (electronics), PAK (electrical devices) and Rogerwell (energy management system). Tissot (watches), a long-term partner of the CBA League, supports the CBA All-Star Game as Official Vendor.

Ma Guoli, CEO and Managing Director of Infront China, commented: “The popularity and success of the CBA All-Star Weekend reflects most prominently the marketing and promotional achievements of the CBA League in the past. Its sports value, high levels of media coverage, sponsor and fan support are the notable result of the joint efforts of the CBA and Infront and demonstrate the sustainable, long-term progress of Chinese basketball both on team and league level.”

Premium sport alongside entertainment highlights
Infront China has perfected the event schedule for the CBA All-Star weekend from its involvement in the past – with the event now being staged in a world-class venue in the third consecutive year. To warm up the fans and offer a platform to young CBA players, the traditional Rookie Games is going to be played the day before the main event at the same venue. Further spectator interest will be drawn in by the CBA All-Star Skills Game, a competition that consists of three parts –Three-Point, Slam Dunk and Skills Challenge. The opening ceremony of the CBA All-Star Game will feature a show with performances by popular, national dancers and will once again be hosted by CCTV Basketball commentator Yu Jia.


For further information, please contact:
 
Jörg Polzer / Nike Möhle
Corporate Communications
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
press infrontsports.com
www.infrontsports.com
        
Jenny Yu
Associate Director, Communication
Infront Sports & Media (China) Co. Ltd.
Tel. +86-10-8889 0816
Fax +86-10-8889 0808/0809
jenny.yu infrontasia.com
www.infrontasia.com