Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from Asia.
📰 Headlines: Chinese athletes dominate at UFC 312, Tencent lands exclusive Wimbledon broadcast partnership and a non-exclusive WTA Ventures deal, Kai Tak Stadium to officially open on March 1, MotoGP launches in Bangkok, and Hero Esports announces ACL Honor of Kings Tournament.
🗞️ Key Industry News
Chinese Stars Dominate at UFC 312, Zhang Weili Retains Title
The UFC star successfully retained her women's strawweight championship by dominating previously unbeaten Tatiana Suarez with a unanimous decision win in the co-main event of UFC 312 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. It wasn’t only Weili from China to claim victory - Wang Cong and Rong Zhu were also victorious at 312. Read more on ESPN (English)
💡 Mailman Take: 10 years ago, the UFC was just getting started in China - a country not overly keen on promoting what it deemed at the time a ‘blood sport’. This didn’t deter the UFC, as the organization knew that with the right online and offline strategy, local heroes, investment with the PI, the best local broadcasters and partners, and a whole lot of patience its time would come, and it has and then some. Fast forward 10 years to today and the first-ever Chinese champion Zhang Weili has just defended her belt for the third consecutive fight. Weili’s win was trending top of every social media platform in China, headline news in all the biggest state-owned Chinese media outlets such as CCTV and Xinhua, and filling up social feeds with congratulatory messages. A lot can happen in a decade, even with a global pandemic in the middle, and the UFC is proof that no matter the challenges, if you stick to your principles & goals, celebrate champions, focus on grassroots and invest in the right areas, that anything is possible, particularly in China. The exciting part - the UFC is just getting started.
Tencent Lands Exclusive Wimbledon Partnership
The Chinese digital platform has secured exclusive broadcast rights to the Wimbledon Championship in mainland China for three years, from 2025 to 2027. The rights package includes live broadcasts of games, as well as match replays, on-demand viewing, and highlights across Tencent’s media and social platforms, including Tencent Video, Tencent Sports, WeChat, Tencent News, qq.com, and QQ. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
💡 Mailman Take: Hot off the heels of the Chinese digital broadcast platform's deal with the WTA, Tencent has now secured exclusive new media broadcasting rights for Wimbledon in China from 2025-27, in a deal facilitated by IMG. In recent years, Tencent has been relatively quiet in the sports media rights space - the China Mobile-owned Migu platform has taken up most of the new media rights. Yet Tencent, owner of the super app WeChat, clearly still sees sports, specifically tennis, as an important property that drives viewership and subscriptions. All these new partnerships and deals will only help promote the popularity and development of tennis in China.
WTA Ventures and Tencent agree on China rights deal for 2025
The WTA is expanding its audience reach in China for the 2025 season following a new deal announced by WTA Ventures and Tencent. The agreement means that Tencent’s digital platforms will offer coverage from every tournament on the Hologic WTA Tour through to the season-ending WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF in November, including all WTA 250s, 500s and 1000s, except events played in the Chinese mainland. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
💡 Mailman Take: Another statement that women's tennis is booming in China - there are more local stars, growing viewership, an increase in grassroots participation, a strong list of commercial partners, and powerful digital broadcasters such as Tencent continuing to commit. This momentum is only going to continue throughout 2025 and beyond, backed up by the recent announcement that the Billie Jean King Cup Finals will be hosted in Shenzhen, from 2025 to 2027. Advantage China. According to data from iiMedia Research, the number of tennis participants in China reached 23.81 million in 2024, and it is expected to surpass 30 million by 2029. The market size of China's tennis industry was projected to reach $5.16bn in 2024, with an annual compound growth rate of 11 percent thereafter. China’s Tennis Administration Centre director, Bai Xilin is aiming for 10 players of each gender in the ATP and WTA top 100.
Kai Tak Stadium to Open on March 1
The main stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park, the Kai Tak Stadium, is finally opening its doors on March 1. This comes after several test runs in the new sports venue, which can accommodate up to 50k spectators. The soon-to-open stadium has a customisable seating system that allows flexible seating configuration. It is an upgrade from all current sports venues in the city and is suitable for hosting various events of different scales. Read more on Lifestyle Asia (English)
MotoGP 2025 Bangkok Events Launch
MotoGP has landed in Bangkok with the "Season Launch" event, the creation of an iconic picture at the Marble Temple Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram - a stunning building and one of Bangkok’s best-known sites, the temple proved the perfect backdrop for the first-class photo of the year. Read more on MotoGP (English)
💡Mailman Take: For the first time, MotoGP has held an official season launch, marking a significant milestone with Somkiat Chantra as the inaugural Thai rider in the MotoGP championship. As the season opener draws near in Buriram, anticipation builds for another thrilling year in this exhilarating sport. Fans are eager to converge at Chang International Circuit for the highly anticipated first showdowns of the season, making this event a perfect precursor to the excitement that lies ahead.
SheBelieves Cup Nets First Free-to-air Japanese Deal
Public-service broadcaster NHK will show the Japanese women’s team’s matches at the SheBelieves Cup, marking the first time the team’s games from the tournament have been shown on terrestrial television in the country. Read more on SportBusiness (English)
💡 Mailman Take: The Japanese women’s football team is thriving internationally, and this is a perfect example of that success. As more Japanese women players head to Europe, NHK’s coverage of these games aligns with the tournament's theme of empowering women to follow their dreams. This visibility is expected to inspire more women to pursue similar paths. While most international games have been broadcast online since the last Men's World Cup, NHK’s coverage marks a positive step in expanding women's football within Japan through local TV.
Persija Jakarta Partners with SPF Football Academy (Spain)
Persija Jakarta, one of Indonesia’s most prominent football clubs, has announced a partnership with SPF Football Academy, a leading academy based in Valencia, Spain. This collaboration aims to enhance the development of Persija’s young talents by providing them with international training and competition experience. Read more at Skor ID (Bahasa)
💡Mailman Take: This partnership marks a significant step for Indonesian clubs looking to improve their youth development programs. Historically, nurturing young talent has been a persistent challenge in Indonesian football, but this initiative could pave the way for developing academy players with international-level skills. For SPF and other top-tier European football academies, this collaboration could also serve as a gateway into the Indonesian football market - fostering a mutually beneficial relationship that helps elevate the next generation of footballers.
🎮 Esports
Hero Esports Announces ACL Honor of Kings Tournament
The Chinese tournament organiser has announced an Honor of Kings (HOK) tournament for the inaugural edition of the Asian Champions League (ACL). The competition will see 12 out of 18 teams from the King Pro League (KPL), HOK’s highest league ecosystem, fight for the title and a share of its $20k prize pool. Read more on Esports Insider (English) Tencent Signs Strategic Partnership with Rednote for King Pro League
Tencent announced that it has signed a strategic partnership with Chinese social media platform RedNote for China’s top Honor of Kings competition, King Pro League. Rednote will become one of the official streaming platforms alongside gaming-focused live streaming platforms Douyu and Huya, as well as the official KPL network of communities. Read more on Esports Advocate (English)
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Founded in China in 1999, Mailman has evolved to become one of Asia’s leading sports digital agencies. We are digital marketers who help sports rights holders enhance their local brand equity and create sustainable presences. We exist at the intersection of digital & technology, helping the world’s biggest sports, entertainment & lifestyle brands build successful businesses in international growth markets. Mailman is part of 160/90, Endeavor’s global cultural marketing agency. Learn more about our story here.
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