World's wealthiest sports league inks deal with Chinese tech giant

What do you get when two No 1s team up?

Well, think of the new strategic partnership between the National Football League and Chinese digital tech giant Tencent as the media equivalent of the Super Bowl champion snagging the first overall draft pick.

In short, the three-year agreement, formally launched in Beijing on Monday, is aimed at propelling global sports branding to unprecedented heights. It means enhanced multi-platform exposure of the world's wealthiest professional sports league in the world's most populous nation.

Starting next month, Shenzhen-based Tencent will stream live and on-demand preseason, regular-season and playoff games, along with the Pro Bowl, the Super Bowl and other content.

The deal also allows the NFL to tap into Tencent's ever-expanding digital presence on both mobile and desktop terminals, including Tencent Sports, QQ.com, Tencent Video, Kuai Bao, Penguin Live, Tencent Sports app, Tencent Video app, Tencent News app, and its social networking services, QQ and WeChat.

Other features include programming rights for NFL Game Day, NFL Hard Knocks and A Football Life, further bolstering Tencent's nongame coverage.

The 32-member NFL generated $13 billion in revenue in 2016 - the highest among domestic sports leagues worldwide - but is anxious to challenge the National Basketball Association and European soccer for prominence in the Chinese market.

Under contracts with previous providers, the NFL's digital live-streaming viewership in China grew 17 percent last year to 37 million unique viewers, while video-on-demand jumped 52 percent to 282 million views. With Tencent on board, those numbers are sure to explode.

To symbolically seal the new deal, NFL International chief operating officer Peter Griffiths threw a switch that simultaneously lit lamps at Tencent's headquarters and the NFL offices in New York.

"This partnership marks the dawn of a new era for the NFL, and we are truly honored to be working with Tencent to create a new template for cooperation, exposure and enhancement," said Griffiths.

When asked to use just three words to describe the NFL's appeal for a relatively uninitiated Chinese audience that is expected to grow exponentially over the next three seasons, Griffiths didn't hesitate: "Intense, meaningful ... and united!"

"Ten years ago we could realistically claim around two million dedicated fans in China, and last season that number topped 19 million," he said.

"With Tencent's experience, expertise and unmatched record of success, it's not unrealistic to project it into the hundreds of millions.

"The incredible drama of last year's Super Bowl, culminating with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots capping the greatest comeback in championship history, really struck a chord in China and we are excited by the opportunities to take that interest to new levels."

Tencent vice-president Caitlyn Chen is equally enthused.

"We believe our capability in production, content distribution and fan engagement will help the NFL expand its audience profile and elevate the popularity of American football in China," said Chen.

"We will continue to maximize the value of sports rights owners and enhance the digital entertainment experience for Chinese users. We are committed to contributing to the growth of China's sports industry."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hailed the partnership in a video link from New York.

"We are very excited about the NFL's future in China and proud of our partnership with Tencent," he said.

"We are confident this agreement will provide our growing number of Chinese fans with a better viewing experience and more opportunities for engagement with the NFL than ever before."

murraygreig@chinadaily.com.cn