NBA, Migu Establish Multi-year Partnership to Deliver Digital Content in China

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Migu, a China Mobile subsidiary that provides digital content products and services, have agreed to a multiyear partnership that will deliver extensive NBA content to fans in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau across Migu and China Mobile’s family of media brands. This partnership makes Migu an official partner of the NBA in China and marks Migu’s first partnership with a North American sports league.

The announcement was made in Guangzhou at the 2018 China Mobile Global Partner Conference by Vice President of China Mobile Communications Group Qin Jian, GM of Migu Xin Liu, NBA China CEO Derek Chang, and NBA Executive Vice President of Media Operations and Technology Steve Hellmuth, with two-time NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury in attendance.

As the Official Telecom Carrier Immersion Platform of the NBA in China, Migu will provide fans in mainland China with daily NBA game highlights, behind-the-scenes videos, original programming, and classic NBA games on a variety of Migu’s assets. Migu and the NBA will work together to explore new technologies to enhance the viewing experience, including 4K resolution and virtual reality. Migu and the NBA will also work together to grow the Jr. NBA – the league’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls – in China.

In Hong Kong and Macau, Migu will broadcast live NBA games, including preseason and regular-season games, the NBA Playoffs, The NBA Finals, NBA All-Star, and the NBA Draft, as well as original NBA programming including NBA Awards, NBA Action, and more. Migu will also carry the NBA’s 24/7 dedicated channel, NBA TV, on its platforms.

“We are thrilled to start our relationship with China Mobile, Migu, and their various media platforms,” says Chang. “This new partnership provides us with the opportunity to tap into Migu and China Mobile’s expansive reach and help us continue to grow the game of basketball in China.”

“The cooperation between Migu and the NBA is China Mobile’s important step to increase the cooperation with top international content companies and jointly create a high-quality content platform with them,” says Qin Jian. “The NBA is one of the most popular sports leagues in China and has connected with Chinese fans through the game of basketball for 40 years. We believe that we can leverage each other’s advantages in premium content production and media operations to bring a higher-quality experience to millions of domestic users.”

The partnership also allows Migu to design and sell NBA and Migu co-branded lifestyle merchandise available to fans on China Mobile and Migu’s platforms. Additionally, Migu will become the official marketing partner of the NBA China Games.