Le Sports and Major League Baseball announced a wide-ranging partnership which results in Le Sports becoming an official strategic partner of MLB in China mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, for a three-year period.
The strategic alliance, which is highlighted by live streaming of MLB games in China for the first time, was announced today by Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB Chief Operating Officer Tony Petitti, MLB Senior Vice President of Growth, Strategy and International Chris Park, Le Sports Chairman Fei Gao, Le Sports CEO Zhenjian Lei and Le Sports Vice President of Strategy Hang Yu here during a press conference that was streamed to Le Sports subscribers in China.
As part of the first mass market MLB media agreement in China, Le Sports will hold exclusive media rights in China to broadcast 125 MLB games per season, along with Mandarin-language MLB programming, through its internet platform, mobile applications, and OTT Devices. The 125-game lineup includes: four HD games per week during the regular season (96 games in total), 20 HD Postseason games, the All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, and all World Series games. In addition to live streaming games, Le Sports will have rights to rebroadcast those games through video on demand.
Lei said, "By working with MLB in China over the past three years on events, we saw just how appealing the league is to Chinese families, and how popular the games and MLB players have become to young sports fans in China. We are excited to expand and extend our partnership with MLB."
Le Sports will also invest significant marketing resources and leverage its unique digital device ecosystem to promote baseball. Lei added, "We are thrilled to bring even more baseball to Chinese fans as this sport becomes so much more popular to the Chinese people."
"This historic partnership with Le Sports exemplifies Major League Baseball's diversified approach to serving international communities," said Manfred. "We are delighted to showcase Major League games in Mandarin throughout the distinctive, ever-growing ecosystem of Le Sports devices and apps. China is a crucial frontier for the development of baseball. Our new, prominent place on Le Sports platforms both reaffirms and expands our commitment to growing the game in China."
Besides broadcasting games, Le Sports will establish an online community for 30 MLB clubs and become a central portal for Chinese baseball fans to connect more deeply with their favorite teams, from supporting MLB live events to merchandise purchases. Le Sports will continue as a co-producer of MLB Perfect Pitch, a baseball reality show. Le Sports also will broadcast MLB Beijing University Baseball League and MLB Shanghai University Baseball League opening and final games as well as MLB Play Ball! Youth Program games.
"Over the last decade, MLB has worked steadily to lay a lasting foundation for baseball in China," said Petitti. "We have made remarkable progress developing uniquely Chinese baseball content, enriching the curricula of local schools, and mentoring the first generation of top-flight homegrown players. This partnership is an encouraging inflection point in the story of MLB China. Le Sports is an invaluable media platform for global sports brands and will enhance all aspects of our presence in China."
Gao said, "Baseball is a sport of 'coming home,' which matches our traditional Chinese family values perfectly. MLB has focused on working through local education and communities to influence more youth to play baseball. We will provide an enhanced viewing experience to Chinese fans, and encourage more families and young people to play and enjoy this amazing sport. I am excited to join forces with MLB. We also will work with MLB to provide fans with events, merchandise and other opportunities to enhance their enjoyment of baseball."
The partnership with MLB is the latest significant achievement of Le Sports, and adds to other exclusive deals, including Wimbledon from 2016-2018, the English Premier League in Hong Kong from 2016-2019, as well as the five-year global partnership with ATP.