Online streaming company PPTV is in talks to acquire domestic online rights to club football’s Chinese Super League, according to reports.
The South China Morning Post newspaper, citing a report on Chinese sports news website Sports Money, said current rights-holder, internet operator LeSports, and PPTV are devising separate bids to pay about CNY500m (€67.9m/$72.9m) each for the new media broadcast rights to all matches through internet-based over-the-top services for the 2017 CSL season, which kicks off on March 4.
In June, new Chinese OTT platform Baofeng Sports acquired CSL rights for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Baofeng struck the deal with the China Sports Media agency and the contract includes rights to one non-exclusive CSL match per week.
CSM acquired CSL global rights in a five-year deal from 2016 to 2020. CSM sold on digital rights to LeSports under a two-season agreement struck in March 2016.
Sports Money said LeSports prefers non-exclusive rights over exclusive rights in the second season of its agreement because CSL matches were unable to attract as many new subscribers as parent company LeEco expected.