iQIYI secures digital rights to PGA Tour

Chinese online video platform iQIYI has announced a deal to become the PGA Tour’s official digital streaming portal in China from 2016 through 2020 at a press conference held in Shanghai.

The signing was attended by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, Deputy Commissioner Jay Monahan and Co-Chief Operating Officer Ed Moorhouse; Gong Yu, the Founder & CEO of iQIYI;  Geng Xiaohua, Senior Vice President of iQIYI; and Zhang Yuxin, the General Manager of Copyright Management Center.

Under the deal, the Chinese online streamer will have rights to live stream more than 1,500 hours of 40 PGA Tour tournaments, including the Players Championship, all FedExCup events and the Presidents Cup, as well as the World Cup. 

iQIYI will also provide all of the ancillary programming produced by the PGA Tour Entertainment division, including on-demand highlights, exclusive content and player interviews.

In addition to that, the Chinese company will also work with the PGA Tour to produce customised and original content in order to engage with a broader audience. 

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. This deal adds to iQIYI’s sports portfolio sthat includes 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, the China Open and Grand Slam Tennis.

Source: Sportbusiness