Zug, Switzerland / Beijing, PR China, 20 October 2006 - The Chinese Basketball League start on October 7th, has marked Infront’s involvement with the CBA League for the second consecutive year. In addition to the ongoing development and marketing of the League, several changes have been made to the League calendar. The scheduling changes were created with the Chinese National Team’s preparations for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, in mind.

The opening match took place in Dongguan, the home venue of last seasons CBA League champions – Guandong Winnerway. The team defeated Bayi 104-98. There are 16 teams, one more team than the previous season, competing in a total of 30 rounds. There will be 240 matches during the regular season. The play-off season will feature the best of five matches and the final will be best of seven, giving the entire season a total of 277 matches. The playoffs will take place from March 18 - April 1, 2007.

 

The new calendar is designed to allow the Chinese national basketball team to better prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a result this year’s League schedule has been shortened by 3 weeks in which Team China will focus heavily on training games and individual player development.

 

Record broadcast coverage
It is now a year since Infront launched its joint venture partnership with the CBA for the marketing of the League. Many improvements are already becoming apparent. Television audiences have increased, reaching a total number of 315 million viewers, 41% more than the previous season. Furthermore, total attendance at CBA games rose to 1.32 million. Every game is now shown live on television, including three times weekly on CCTV 5, once on Shanghai Dragon TV, once on ESPN star. In addition, NBATV broadcasted the final of the previous CBA league live in the USA.

 

Existing sponsors have renewed – Anta (sports equipment), Nu Com (broadband provider), Diamond (Sports Awards), Jinling (sports equipment), Spalding (sports ball makers) and C’est Bon (drinking water) – and new sponsors have been signed – China Mobile (mobile operator) as Official Partner of the League (see separate release) and Yake (confectionary products) on the supplier level. There are also several additional partners that Infront hopes to announce shortly.

 

Visually, the most apparent changes are the enhancements Infront has made in how the League is presented. Overall, there is now a cleaner, more stylish and appealing court layout at all venues. Better exposure and adding value for the League sponsors will be guaranteed by an improved advertising board concept – fixed boards on the bottom lines have been substituted by additional. Space & Time computer controlled rotating advertising systems.

 

The introduction of professional selection processes and training methods for cheerleaders, MC’s and DJ’s as well as the development of a detailed Operations Manual for clubs are additional improvements, which will ultimately lead to a more enjoyable fan experience. Infront and the CBA have also carried out numerous workshops with each CBA Club to ensure greater coordination, operational efficiency and promotion across the entire League.

First public viewing event in CBA history
As another highlight around the opening match in Dongguan, Infront and CBA successfully staged the first public viewing in Basketball history in China, creating an additional communication platform for the league’s commercial partner and an unforgettable sports experience for 5,000 basketball fans onsite. The state-of-the-art entertainment show included cheerleading and traditional Chinese dragon dancing and was highlighted by the appearance of local club players on stage. The match Guandong vs. Bayi was shown on various big screens including a gigantic 20 square meter screen.

 

Innovative new media services
On the media side, Infront has improved television graphics and developed a range of new media options. These will be making the CBA League more widely available on the Internet and to mobile devices than ever before. The new official CBA League website - www.CBAChina.com - which was just recently launched, includes innovative multimedia services like live web casts featuring key League matches, the hottest club and player news and a dedicated interactive fan section.

 

Thanks to various CBA League mobile services, fans will never miss the latest news, results and inside stuff surrounding the league. In addition to this, a new mobile blog, featuring CBA League players will give fans unique access to special behind-the-scenes content.

 

New licensed products are allowing fans to express their loyalty to their club of choice. Infront is working on the introduction of a Product and Management Guide and introducing new quality controls in support of this licensing programme.

 

Infront’s role exceeds marketing
An unusual but vital part of Infront’s role is the development and implementation of an on-going technical support plan for all the clubs, with the objective of improving the overall level of competition in the CBA league and ultimately that of the National Team. Training seminars for the physical trainers of each club have been carried out and new theoretical and practical training methods are going to be introduced throughout the season that will benefit basketball as a whole.

 

Mr. Li Yuanwei, Executive Vice President of CBA said: “The 2006/07 CBA League season will be ‘the year of quality‘. We are confident through our successful partnership with Infront and the clubs that the CBA League will become more professional in every detail: higher competition level, better atmosphere in the stadium, various activities and improved services for fans, media and sponsors. All above this year will also help team China players to improve their competition skill.”

 

“Overall, the League is moving in the direction we hoped for, with a professional new look, greater entertainment value and more services for sponsors. Our goal remains as always – to make the CBA one of the best basketball leagues in the world,” says John Kristick, Infront’s Executive Director Asia.

For further information, please contact:

Jörg Polzer
Manager, Communication & PR
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
press infrontsports.com
www.infrontsports.com