CBA League Is Number One

Basketball is a big success story in China. Its men’s and women’s national teams are amongst the best in the world and the sport has the support of millions of fans.

"CBA League has been the most influential professional league in China, taking over the football CSL."
Beijing Youth Daily, 20 January 2009

Infront’s in-depth and varied role

The joint-venture between Infront and the CBA, which has now been running for four years, manages all commercial rights of the CBA League and clubs — a partnership that is proving the catalyst to realising the full potential of this vibrant league.

 

Infront’s role involves every aspect of promoting, marketing and developing the CBA League, including grass root programmes and player representati

  • Marketing of all commercial rights
  • Technical development of CBA clubs
  • Upgrading of television production quality and distribution
  • Promotion of games
  • Raising international awareness of Chinese basketball
  • Development of the new media platform
  • Projects at youth and grassroots level
  • Player development and representation


Most popular in China
The CBA League is the undisputed premium property in basketball and one of China’s most popular team sports. Not only is the CBA League the fastest growing and most popular Chinese sports league it is also the largest sports league in Asia. The future is bright as more young people are encouraged to take up basketball as a result of national team success as well as more effective promotion of the sport at every level.

The 2009/2010 CBA League season will showcase a total of 309 games, played across 17 cities throughout China. The regular season runs from 19 December 2009 until 14 March 2010 followed by the most popular All Star Weekend on 20 and 21 March. The final rounds consisting of 37 games are scheduled to run from 24 March until 30 April 2010.

Raising popularity
According to CCTV-5, basketball is now the most popular televised sport in China. The CBA League in particular is accruing tremendous popularity as the most fashionable, indigenous competition featured on Chinese television with every game being shown live across the country.  

Key achievements include:

  • Tremendous growth in television audiences, soaring to 421 million in 2006/2007.  The following year audience levels dropped to 346 million due to competition from pre-Olympic programming but speedily resumed to a record 596 million in 2008/2009.
  • The 2008/2009 season achieved a total broadcast time of 4,200 hours and a cumulative audience for live broadcasts of approximately 535 million - 21 national TV stations in China showed the events.
  • TV viewing for the 2009 All-Star Game weekend reached the highest levels to date at over 16 million. The 2009 CBA Finals accrued a cumulative audience of more than 31.5 million.
  • Exposure from new media further substantiates popularity — the 2009 CBA All-Star online ballot involved 3.5 million votes. The CBA website reached 65 million page views in January 2009 and is predicted to reach 900 million over the full year.
  • Stadium attendance is up, with 1.69 million spectators over the season (+ 70% compared to the previous season).

 

The strongest sponsorship platform in China
With its high popularity CBA League is the strongest and most effective domestic sponsorship programme in China. It appeals to the young, upwardly mobile, middle-class Chinese consumer, whose consumption levels are five to six times greater than the national average. Optimistic, fashion-oriented and brand-conscious, these are the present and future of basketball in China. Basketball is “cool” and its heroes embody the values that young people want to emulate.

The CBA League has an impressive geographic spread as the teams are strategically located in key cities and through different provinces. With an intensive season – 480 games running from November to April – combined with fan-based activities, the opportunities for exposure have been prolonged to 11 months.

International brands join strong domestic brands
With opportunities at each event for only one Official Partner, one Official Sponsor and one Official Supplier, brand visibility is exceptional. Sponsorship appeal is growing as international brands such as UPS, Nike and Tissot have joined strong domestic brands to give an impressive line-up of sponsors including: Anta, NetEase, PAK (SanXiong), TCL, Du-Bang Insurance, Ganten, Seven Brand, SBS, Skins, Zengzhi Jeans

The rights package is substantial, with each sponsor receiving the right to use the CBA logo, designation and group image; attractive onsite branding (i.e. rotating boards); branding on all official print materials; media exposure; PR events and promotional opportunities; access to a top quality hospitality programme; CBA premiums / merchandise and franchising.

Further extensions of the sponsorship programme are possible, following the immensely successful “Basketball Hero” grass roots project - a four month venture that reached over 80,000 students in 400 schools across 20 Chinese cities.  The programme was developed with the education ministry and focused on teaching the basics of basketball to the country’s children.

 

Develop Chinese basketball
Infront’s role involves every aspect of promoting, marketing and developing the CBA League, including grass root programmes and player representation.

Helping players to develop
The development of China’s sports talent is vital to the country’s long-term and continuing success at international level. Infront recognised this and formed an exclusive joint-venture with a premier basketball athlete management company in the US – Excel Sports Management – to establish the most professional basketball athlete representation business in China. Its objective is to increase opportunities for Chinese players and athletes to gain experience abroad and give international stars more scope to play in China, while also providing a professional service that can link stars and sponsors for promotional purposes.

Synergy with Team China Basketball
As a result of Infront’s existing and parallel role with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), there is a unique opportunity for broadcasters and sponsors to focus on Chinese basketball as a dynamic product and to take advantage of the synergy between Team China and the CBA League. This will help to put Chinese basketball on the world map and exploit its potential to the full - as a great way to reach Chinese consumers.