Asia Sports Business Weekly 9th August

Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from Asia.

📰 Headlines: U-Next (Japan) and Coupang (South Korea) land English Premier League and FA Cup rights, Zheng Qinwen takes tennis to the next level in China, BRI becomes main sponsor of Liga 1 Indonesia, online sales of sporting goods surge thanks to Olympics fever, and Red Bull adds Asian club to its portfolio. 

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🗞️ Key Industry News

U-Next Lands Premier League & FA Cup Rights in Japan

The Japanese OTT platform has secured exclusive media rights to the Premier League and FA Cup in Japan in what is now a seven-year deal. U-Next is understood to have agreed a deal in the region of $37.5m per year for exclusive rights in Japan to the Premier League and FA Cup from 2025-26 to 2030-31. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

💡Our Take: U-Next has predominantly streamed LaLiga games, however with this new deal, the platform will become the only channel to stream Premier League games. Given the popularity of English football in Japan, this deal is expected to drive a large number of fans to U-Next as the cost to watch content is not as high as other streaming platforms in Japan.

Coupang Ensures Big Increase for Premier League Rights in South Korea

The powerful e-commerce company has secured Premier League and FA Cup rights in South Korea after agreeing to pay an increase of over 66 percent on the league’s current deal with Eclat Media Group. Coupang will reportedly pay around $50m per year for exclusive rights in South Korea from 2025-26 to 2030-31. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

💡Our Take: Coupang is going big on football and using the sport as a vehicle to drive new consumers and maintain its position as the leading e-commerce company in South Korea. Coupang recently held its own pre-season football series - the Coupang Play Series - including top European teams such as Tottenham Hotspur and FC Bayern Munich, highlighting its intention to be the driving force behind football in the country. The Premier League also currently has four South Korean stars, including Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.

Zheng Qinwen’s Olympic Gold Serves Ace for ‘Tenniscore’

In a groundbreaking year for Chinese tennis, the sport’s popularity - and its associated fashion trend “Tenniscore” - continues to soar in the country. Zheng Qinwen’s Olympic triumph, which saw her become the first Asian tennis player to take home an Olympic gold in singles, is set to skyrocket her commercial value. Read more on Jing Daily (English)

💡Our Take: Arguably the biggest moment for China at the ongoing Olympics in Paris was Zheng Qinwen - dubbed Queen Wen by her fans - becoming the first-ever Chinese tennis player, male or female, to win a medal in tennis, let alone gold. Zheng is the face of tennis in China and is expected to have a similar impact as Eileen Gu has had on Winter sports in recent years. Comparisons with Li Na have been swirling around Zheng lately, and it now looks like China has a new Queen of the court.

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BRI Becomes Main Sponsor of Liga 1 Indonesia

Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), one of the biggest national banks in Indonesia, has officially become the main sponsor of Liga 1 Indonesia for the 2024/25 season. This is the fourth season in a row that BRI became the main sponsor with the brand name of the league still being "BRI Liga 1 Indonesia". The Indonesian FA (PSSI) claims this agreement will bring an economic turnover of up to $645m in one full season. Read more at BRI Official (Bahasa)

💡Our Take: The continuation of this cooperation brings stability to Liga 1 Indonesia whose popularity and quality continue to improve. For BRI, their brand is now more and more synonymous with Indonesian football, as the results of their latest survey show that the Indonesian public's awareness of the "BRI Liga 1" brand has reached 97%.

Online Sales of Sporting Goods Surge as Chinese Celebrate Gold Haul

Alibaba Group Holding’s online shopping platforms have experienced a surge in interest and sales of sporting goods, as Chinese consumers keenly follow the country’s gold medal wins at the Paris Olympics. On Sunday and Monday, searches for tennis and table tennis-related products on Tmall surged by 300 per cent and 234 per cent, respectively, compared with the same period last year. Read more on SCMP (English)

💡Our Take: Nothing drives Chinese patriotism more than the Olympics Games, where China always delivers. Social media is awash with pride, audience ratings go through the roof, and sporting-related goods increase in sales. No wonder Alibaba remains a TOP sponsor with the IOC.

Winning Olympic Sponsorships Elevate Chinese Brands

At the ongoing Paris Olympics, sponsorships are enhancing the global presence of Chinese sportswear brands, promising big wins in the form of healthy returns on investment. For instance, Anta Sports is sponsoring Chinese players' podium uniforms and several Chinese national teams taking part in swimming, artistic swimming and gymnastics, among others. Read more on China Daily (English)

Red Bull Adds First Asian Club to Football Portfolio with Omiya Ardija Takeover

The energy drinks giant has acquired Japanese third-tier football club Omiya Ardija from telecommunications firm NTT, and plans to grow the Omiya Ardija brand and expand the company’s presence in Japan. Read more on SportsPro (English)

China’s Economic and Sports Industry Gains from the Paris 2024 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics offer China a prime opportunity to enhance its global image, boost trade, and expand its market presence through sports-related exports and e-commerce. Additionally, the Games fuel China’s sports industry growth, supported by government policies and increasing public interest in fitness and sports. Read more on China Briefing (English)

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🤔 Opinion

What Does Zheng Qinwen’s Win Mean? 

Following Zheng’s victory, numerous corporate brands extended their congratulations on social media. Among them, Nike, which began sponsoring Zheng Qinwen’s kit nine years ago, created a widely shared advert for her before the Olympics, while CHAGEE appointed Zheng Qinwen as its first “health ambassador” in April this year. Read more on DAO (English)

Journey to the West? Yili Brings Sha Wujing to Paris

Many netizens pointed out how the high-contrast purple tracks on the Stade de France, combined with the green grass field, looked oddly familiar: it is the colour scheme of Sha Wujing, the Sand Monk, or Sandy’s costume from the beloved TV adaptation Journey to the West (1986 – 2000). Read more on DAO (English)

Hurdler Wu Yanni: A New Image for Chinese Olympians?

Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni, known for her bold style and defiance of norms, embodies a new generation challenging traditional athletic expectations. Could she be the next face of luxury brands? Read more on Jing Daily (English)

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🎮 Esports

Biggest Esports Games in China

With China’s heavy influence within the esports scene, many specific games hold popularity in the country. With quite a few Chinese esports teams in the competitive gaming scene, which esports are considered the biggest in China? Here are the top esports games in China. Read more on Insider Gaming (English)

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