Infront renews with Team China Basketball for another eight years
Infront China’s successful support for China’s national basketball
teams has created a partnership unique in its depth and longevity
The agreement was announced by at a press conference in Beijing today by Hu, Jiashi, Vice President of the CBA. Infront, which has been the exclusive marketing partner of Team China since early 2006, will continue in its role until at least the end of 2018. The CBA’s extension of the agreement by such a long period is an extraordinary endorsement of the success of the relationship and its beneficial effects on basketball in China.
Infront is the first international sports marketing company to have a comprehensive, all-encompassing marketing and development agreement with a leading sport in China – at both league and national team level. Infront is also responsible for the marketing of the CBA Professional League, through a
joint-venture with the CBA which was formed mid 2005.
Infront has helped to build the profile of basketball as the top team sport in China, with a wraparound development programme that has enhanced the prospects of the national basketball teams, men and women – competitively and commercially.
Successful promotional and marketing programmes
Successful promotional and marketing programmes have been introduced and Infront has taken steps to ensure that the national team games are clearly branded, part of coherent schedule, attracting a big following of fans.
Infront China also provided support in organising friendly challenge games for Team China to help them prepare for upcoming big events in a best possible way. There is now a schedule of international warm-up games for Team China every year. Between 2006 and 2010, Infront has organised over 100 such challenge games for the men’s and women’s teams.
An agreement with China’s sports channel, CCTV-5 means that all national team games taking place in China are now broadcast across China. Total airtime given to Team China’s warm-up games exceeds 1,400 hours over five years, with a cumulative viewing audience of more than 760 million. With professional marketing, corporate enthusiasm has grown to record levels. Basketball is now one of the most valuable sponsorship platforms in Chinese sport. Team China Basketball has a total of 20 sponsors, 15 for the men’s team and five for the women’s team, including top domestic brands such as TCL, the leading Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer, and leading international brands such as UPS and Nike.
Seven major events in focus
The next eight years are important ones. Team China will be taking part in two Olympic Games, two FIBA World Championships, another edition of the Asian Games and two Asian FIBA Championships. China is now a highly respected contender in all these competitions. The recent results are promising: Both the men’s and women’s team won gold at the 2010 Asian Games on home ground last November. Internationally, they are both in the top 10 of the FIBA World Ranking.
Hu, Jiashi, Vice President of the CBA, said: “In the past 5 years, as Team China Basketball’s exclusive global marketing partner, Infront has provided strong support to the development of Team China. Infront worked with CBA in many aspects, not only the teams’ marketing and promotion, but also helped the teams to develop technically by introducing top level foreign coaches, scouts and physicians to China, and organizing high-quality international friendly challenge games for Team China to better prepare for big international events.”
Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, added: “This extension of our contract is unique – no international sports marketing company has enjoyed a partnership as close and sustained as Infront’s with the CBA. We have made significant investments in China and in basketball and always said Infront was here for the long-term – and taking a long-term view would lead to the building of trust between our Chinese partners and us. We are very much looking forward to further developing our excellent relationships in this important growth market in order to deliver much added value to the basketball and its stakeholders.”
Ma Guoli, Managing Director of Infront China, commented: “The relevant question for us today is how we can support TCB throughout the upcoming eight years. We are moving to a new phase, where the CBA will be playing a bigger role in running technical development and Infront will intensify its focus on marketing, promotion and media rights sales. We will focus mainly on three aspects, the further marketing and promotion of TCB, the organisation of friendly challenge games for the teams, and the enhancement of media production and delivering of a stronger broadcast product.”
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.
With its office in Beijing, the company is an established player in China. Infront has already made areal impact through important strategic partnerships with China’s top sport – basketball – at both league and national team level. Infront is creating a new resource for companies and federations/properties interested in growing their brands or sports in China, whilst also allowing Chinese rights holder’s and commercial partner’s access to the European market.
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
