May 21 – Chinese corporate sponsorship of football continues seemingly unabated. The Chinese Super League (CSL) has added an official motor sponsor while Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, a marketing force to compete with most national federations and leagues, has similarly secured an official Chinese SUV sponsor.
The CSL created a new sponsorship strategy for the next four years earlier this year, which saw the creation of three tiers of partnerships. SAIC Motor Corporation Limited has been named as a senior official partner of the CSL.
The CSL has fast-developed its media and sponsorship profile, pointing to its stats that show more than 1.79 million people attended the first 9 rounds of the 2018 CSL, with an average attendance of 24,900, making the CSL 5th ranked league for attendance globally. 590 CSL matches were broadcast on TV, reaching 88 million TV viewers.
The CSL’s new media platform, PPTV, will live broadcast all 240 CSL matches, with the number of views reckoned to hit 173 million. At the same time, the league willbe streamed in 96 countries and regions, covering more than 100 million household users.
Ronaldo’s new car
While the CSL was getting bigger, football’s biggest sponsorship personality Cristiano Ronaldo was signing his own car deal with Chinese luxury SUV brand WEY, becoming a gobal brand ambassador.
WEY, a predominantly China-based business, said it would launch its first commercial featuring Ronaldo during the FIFA World Cup within CCTV’s coverage.
WEY is new to sports sponsorship and the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is being seen as a major strategic move with plans to develop their market overseas.
WEY’s VV7 SUV shares the same number as Ronaldo’s team shirt. A VV7 SUV was on display at the signing ceremony.
No values for either sponsorship were given.
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