CBA League starts the 2011/12 season stronger than ever as new sponsors and locked out NBA players sign in
Infront secures record-breaking numbers of brands - expected to benefit from the enhanced international attention
The CBA League season starts tomorrow in Guangdong with the local team Foshan (ranked 14th last season) and the guest team Shandong (ranked 11th) competing in the first game. In total, the series will consist of 272 games in the regular season and – from 22 February onwards – 37 play-off matches. The popular CBA All-Star Game will be held on 18 and 19 February 2012 in the Guangzhou International Sports Arena – the official basketball venue of last year’s Asian Games.
Premium property, premium players
As one of the leading sports properties in Asia, the 17th CBA League season is now set to become even more memorable as strong international players acknowledge the series as an appealing alternative to the halted NBA. The roster of the confirmed NBA players across the 17 clubs competing in the league includes J.R. Smith (Denver Nuggets player in the NBA, now playing for Zhejiang in the CBA), Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets / Xinjiang) and Wilson Chandler (New York Knicks in the NBA, now playing for Zhejiang) just to name a few. Further American players holding longer-term contracts with CBA clubs include among others Randolph Morris (former New York Knicks player, now contracted by Beijing), Marcus Williams (former New Jersey Nets player, now Shanxi), Alan Anderson (former Charlotte Bobcat player, now Shandong) and Stephon Marbury (former NBA All-Star Champion, now contracted by Beijing).
The involvement of foreign players in the CBA – 33 in total this season – is a further push for Chinese basketball, whilst the domestic level is also increasingly strong. Top Chinese players include Yi Jianlian (Guangdong), Wang Zhizhi (Bayi), Mengke Bateer (Xinjiang), Zhu Fangyu (Guangdong), Wang Shipeng (Guangdong) and Liu Wei (Shanghai).
In addition to the NBA stars heading to China, the preparation for this season has also seen some national movers and shakers within the league creating more excitement for fans. Yao Ming, who this summer announced his retirement is assumed to become the new owner of the Shanghai Shark club. Furthermore, the popular Chinese national team player Yi Jianlian – recently awarded the MVP of the FIBA Asian Championships – has confirmed his return to the Guangdong club after previous absence due to playing for the NBA (New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards).
All-time high in sponsorship support
The CBA league is a highly attractive property for sponsorship involvement, this is not only due to the enhanced player roster but also continually strong development in recent years – thanks to the joint efforts of the CBA and its marketing partner Infront. Support from major brands has increased steadily in recent years and this year’s 22 international and domestic partners mark the highest amount of sponsors ever in the history of the league.
The line-up of long-term and new associates includes four Official Partners – Anta (sports apparel), UPS (express and logistics), sohu.com (portal website) and PPTV (video website) – and four Official Sponsors – Nike (official ball), TCL (electronics), Konica Minolta (office equipment) and PAK (electrical devices). A total of 14 Official Providers round off the portfolio, including among others Tissot (watches), McDavid (sports equipment), Le Si Internet Information & Technology corporation (IT), Guangxi Yulin Pharmaceutica Co., Ltd (medicine), Zhongshan Kang Hong clothing Limited company (underwear), Sunfine Ceramic Co., Ltd. (ceramic), Cabbeen Apparel (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (men’s leisure apparel).
Excellent international exposure for major brands
The marketing efforts of the CBA and Infront China, working together in a dedicated joint venture to promote and develop the CBA League, have been fruitful not only through sponsorship but also in terms of media exposure. Following the cumulative audience figure of 515 million in 2010/11 (equalling an 11.5 per cent increase compared to the previous year), the new season is expected to result in even higher coverage for Chinese basketball.
For the new season, at least 15 TV stations in China will be broadcasting the league including CCTV5. All matches are produced and shown live on the regional networks, with CCTV5 showing – for the first time this season – a total of four selected game live from each round. Additionally this year, China's news portal Sohu.com and leading video website PPTV.com have embarked on new partnerships with the CBA and plan to offer most of the live webcast games across their digital platforms.
The CBA regular season will now also be broadcast, for the first time, to the North American market through a recently secured strategic agreement between Infront and One World Sports (OWS) – North America's leading Asian sports provider. The league games will be distributed on a multi-screen, multi-year basis. OWS will present two same-day delay games per week for the entire season, each with English commentary.
Ma Guoli, Managing Director of Infront China, said: “The fact that so many NBA players hit by the lockout see the CBA League as their most appealing alternative underlines its status as the second strongest basketball league in the world. It also demonstrates the successful cooperation of Infront and the CBA to achieve continuous in-depth development of the league and to raise international awareness for Chinese basketball. Particularly this year, sponsors will benefit from the increased international attention and a significant raise in TV coverage providing them with strong brand exposure in and beyond the Chinese market.”
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland, has grown impressively in recent years to become one of the leading international sports marketing groups in the world. Known for its high standards of delivery, the company covers all aspects of a successful sport event – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operations. As a key player in winter sport, football and other summer sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 120 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. With an experienced and passionate team of 500 staff in over 20 offices across 10 countries, the Group helps to annually deliver more than 2,300 event days of top class sport around the world.
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
