Titan front page: Yao Ming's perfect game
Monday, 19th January 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Today on the front page of Titan: Yao Ming shoots a perfect 12-for-12 from the field in a home game against the Miami Heat. Yao also made two free throws, for a total of 26 points and 12 boards.
January 19, 2009
Titan Sports is China's leading newspaper, putting out issues every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It is published jointly by Hunan Art and Culture Publishing House and Titan Publishing House (Danwei).
Tags: Houston Rockets, NBA, Titan front page, Titan sports, Yao Ming
Premier League games to air on CCTV?
Monday, 19th January 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
According to this Bloomberg story, a conglomerate of advertisers is working on a bid to buy Chinese television rights to the English Premier League, which they would then give to CCTV (state television) in exchange for free advertising spots. This would give all of China free access to Premier League games, which currently air on subscription-based WinTV, which has had trouble building an audience.Getting games broadcast widely in China is generally thought by international sports leagues to be a necessary ingredient to building a fan base here. The NBA's popularity is helped quite a bit by the fact that 14 games are broadcast in China every week of the season. According to the Bloomberg story, however, Premier League head of international broadcasting and media operations Phil Lines says that rights will go to the highest bidder (i.e., without consideration for the audience that bidders can garner).
But some of the league's clubs seem to prefer prioritizing audience growth in China. Bloomberg Manchester United Chief Executive Officer David Gill: "There has been lessons learned this year in this contract and will be addressed going forward. We, along with Chelsea, along with Liverpool, along with Arsenal, have made the point. We must have better exposure."
Television isn't the only medium Chinese fans rely on for watching sports. Illegal online streaming is growing in popularity as well, much to the chagrin of TV stations and leagues that want control over their product. NY Times: Online Piracy Menaces Pro Sports.
WinTV's contract expires in 2010 and bidding will likely begin in the spring.
Tags: CCTV, CCTV Sports, football, Manchester United, Premier League, soccer, TV, WinTV