PP Sports and Suning.com launch co-branded CSL membership

The online Chinese sports broadcaster PP Sports have joined hands with Suning.com to launch a co-branded Chinese Super League membership for their users and audiences. 

Users who obtain the membership will be able to watch all 240 CSL games in the 2019 season free and can access special services and benefits related to Suning.com. The launch of the co-branded membership is a PP Sports initiative to further maximize the business benefits of their CSL media rights. 

PP Sports and Suning.com are both subsidiaries of Suning Group. Suning.com is an online retailing platform that offers a variety of goods to customers, similar to Taobao and Jingdong. PP Sports is one of the key digital sports streaming platforms in China that holds exclusive media rights to top-level oversea and domestic sports properties. 

2019 is the third year that PP Sports hosts exclusive digital media rights to the Chinese Super League in mainland China. In 2017, PP Sports paid CNY1.35bn for one year’s media rights to broadcast the CSL. In 2018, PP Sports started its collaboration with Youku Sports and Migu, allowing the two latter platforms to broadcast CSL games. The co-branded membership for the 2019 CSL season is one of the latest efforts of PP Sports to monetize their media rights of the CSL. 

In addition, PP Sports also announced future plans they intend to put into the operation related to CSL media rights and services for fans in the new season. For example, apart from adopting better broadcast technologies and providing good commentaries and original shows, PP Sports outline the theme of the 2019 CSL broadcast is “Fight for cities”. They will also launch a new project to help with the development of youth football in the new season. 

Reference: Yutang Sports 

Proofread by Levison Makuvise