April 30 – The Chinese Football Association has signed a wide ranging deal with Spain-based Mediapro Group to commercialise its top three leagues for the next three seasons – 2021 to 2023.
The CFA over the past year has clamped down on profligate club spending on players with caps on foreign transfers and increased domestic player quotas. It has also ordered clubs that they can no longer use corporate names in their official club titles as the CFA attempts to accelerate the pathway to commercial sustainability.
Mediapro, a broadcast TV production and distribution specialist, will market the league’s TV rights worldwide, with a focus on marquee European and South American players in the Super League including Oscar, Marko Arnautović, Paulinho, Anderson Talisca, Marouane Fellaini, Renato Augusto, Cédric Bakambu and Jonathan Viera.
As part of the rights process and creating access to the league, Mediapro will develop an OTT platform for Chinese football, making it accessible to fans around the world and “becoming the new home of Chinese football”.
Jaume Roures, founding partner of the Mediapro Group, said: “We are very proud of the trust the Chinese Football Association has placed in us. The Group’s experience in sports rights management will be key to boosting the value of their competitions”.
Mediapro already operates a number of football specific OTT platforms for leagues and national associations, including the OneFootball platform in Canada which launched alongside the successful Canadian Premier League.
Pilar Jiménez, CEO of Mediapro Asia Pacific, said of the deal: “The MEDIAPRO Group will bring to bear our expertise and know-how to contribute to the growth and distribution of the Chinese Super League to households the world over.”
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