NFL, Youku Forge Digital Partnership to Bring Video Content to Fans in China

The National Football League (NFL) and Youku, Alibaba Group’s video entertainment platform, announced a digital partnership in China to bring high-quality football programming to Chinese fans.

The partnership will feature weekly programming on Youku’s sports channel, including game highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from NFL games such as the Super Bowl, NFL Kickoff, Thanksgiving, and the NFL International series. Additionally, documentary content from NFL Films around NFL calendar events such as the NFL Draft will also be made available. As a leading multi-screen online video sharing and streaming platform in China, Youku will continue to create premium viewing and interactive experiences through streamlined content operations and innovative technologies to better serve Chinese fans.

“We are excited to partner with Youku to bring localized NFL highlights and content to the NFL’s rapidly growing fan base across China,” says NFL China Managing Director Richard Young. “Youku’s popularity and high-quality production will provide our fans more access to NFL action every week.”

“We are proud to partner with the NFL to help grow the football fan base in China. We look forward to providing Chinese viewers with more outstanding content and an enhanced way to enjoy the game,” says Youku Vice President and General Manager of Youku Sports Content Center Wei Zheng.

The NFL and Youku partnership is the latest collaboration between the League and Alibaba’s ecosystem. Since 2013, the NFL has had an official merchandise flagship store on Tmall, China’s largest B2C marketplace which reaches more than 600 million monthly active users on Alibaba’s platforms.