March 1 – Germany’s Bundesliga has partnered with Chinese internet giant Baidu to become the web company’s first European league to have an official web presence on its platform.
The Bundesliga has achieved rapid growth with its league brand in China whereas other European leagues have seen growth more focussed on their club brands. The Red Card 2017 report analysing the reach of European clubs and leagues put the Bundesliga at the head of league brands in China with about 500 million fans.
The deal with Baidu – which owns China’s largest search engine as well as leading social media platforms – will push that growth further.
Susanne Timosci, Director of Interactive Media at the DFL, said: “With a China-wide coverage level of over 97 per cent, as well as the comprehensive product portfolio with numerous social-marketing tools, Baidu is a further important strategic partner for the Bundesliga.”
The partnership between the two will focus on targeting premium content into the Baidu network and combining this content with other digital offerings.
DFL Deutsche Fussball Liga chief executive Christian Seifert said: “With this partnership, we will further expand the top position that the Bundesliga holds in China. We will consistently continue the strategy that we have pursued in recent years – that of directing our efforts to valuable partnerships in the media and digital sectors, and of investing in our product offerings.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1714094047labto1714094047ofdlr1714094047owedi1714094047sni@n1714094047osloh1714094047cin.l1714094047uap1714094047