Asia
Features
Asian ecommerce live streams attract early-mover sports properties
Ecommerce live streams are a growing phenomenon in online retail in Asia, and sports businesses are starting to dip their toes in the water.
Petronas Yamaha SRT aims to tap burgeoning racing interest in “two-wheel” SE Asia
Tom King talks to Razlan Razali, team principal of Petronas Yamaha SRT MotoGP team, about the growth potential for motorcycle racing in Southeast Asia.
Chinese football tackles salary reduction
Shen Jiang, senior associate at Jingtian & Gongcheng, and Luca Ferrari, partner and global head of sports at Withers, consider the legal issues around the player wage reductions now agreed by all Chinese Super league clubs
Green screen dreams becoming reality in Covid-19 era
Virtual backdrops and ‘watch together’ social media services are in focus as sport returns behind closed doors.
DBS bank bullish on esports investments in Asia
Bank’s investment office is recommending investments in esports and gaming.
Says Covid-19 will accelerate sector growth in Asia-Pac.
Sees game developers as the biggest beneficiaries of growth.
Sri Lanka’s Carlton Sports Network set for comeback
Sri Lankan terrestrial broadcaster Carlton Sports Network Television (CSN) is set to resume operations, five years after having its license blocked by the government
DAZN acquires rights for Nippon Professional Baseball pre-season
Sports streaming service DAZN has acquired rights in Japan for Nippon Professional Baseball pre-season practice matches ahead of the 2020 season start on June 19
Title sponsor Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance increases J-League commitment
The J-League, Japanese football's league body, has signed a "special sponsorship" with existing title sponsor Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Cricket Australia ‘probes hosting T20 World Cup in 2021’
Cricket Australia has asked the International Cricket Council to examine the prospects of the country hosting the T20 World Cup next year, instead of this year, according to a Times of India report
KBO and K League create templates for the return of sport
Korea’s football and baseball leagues have published detailed guidelines governing their resumptions this week.
Failure to insure against pandemic will catch out many Asia-Pac sports properties
Only a handful of the biggest sports events globally were insured for the Covid-19 interruption. Tommy Elliot of specialist events insurer Circles Group tells SportBusiness about the implications for sports properties, and for his own industry.
Online tournaments keep Southeast Asian esports revenues flowing during pandemic
Chris Tran, head of esports in Southeast Asia for League of Legends publisher Riot Games, and Mark Chew, managing director of marketing agency Reddentes Sports, spoke to SportBusiness earlier this month…
The outgoing AFC general counsel on the challenge of match-fixing in Asian football
Benoit Pasquier has been the Asian Football Confederation’s general counsel and director of legal affairs since 2013.
‘Undervalued’ Southeast Asian esports properties battle on amid Covid-19
Chris Tran, head of esports in Southeast Asia for League of Legends publisher Riot Games, and Mark Chew, managing director of marketing agency Reddentes Sports, spoke to SportBusiness about the pandemic's impact, how more broadcasters are considering esports content, and said esports remains undervalued in the region.
China’s sports industry starts to think beyond Covid-19
Andrew Collins, chief executive at Mailman, and Shoto Zhu, founder and president of Oceans Marketing, talk to SportBusiness Asia senior analyst, Kevin McCullagh, about how the Chinese sports industry is…
Timely cost-cutting for IPL proving wise with Covid-19 storm
When the Indian Premier League enacted cost-cutting measures in March 2020, franchises were shocked given the relative profitability in recent years. John Duerden takes a closer look at how the coronavirus outbreak led to the decision.
Women’s golf embraces South Korean dominance as a positive force in Asia and worldwide
The LPGA once worried about the dominance of South Korean players in the women’s game. Now it embraces them as a means of driving the sport’s regional and global popularity. John Duerden finds out more.
Malaysian Football League targets comeback from challenging 2019
The Malaysian Football League had a tough 2019, which saw clubs suffering revenue shortfalls after two big commercial partners backed out of their deals. In the wake of making some significant commercial deals starting in 2020, Kevin McCullagh talks to MFL's chief commercial officer, Winnie Chan, about how the league is trying to recover.
Sun Yang’s downfall highlights China’s failure to develop individual stars
When the Court of Arbitration for Sports handed an eight-year ban to the six-time Olympic medallist Sun Yang, the Chinese sport hierarchy lost its most valuable individual star. Zhang Dan reports.
“Instead of a draw ceremony we had an emergency meeting” | ITTF chief executive Steve Dainton on the impact of coronavirus
With its biggest market at the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, table tennis is one of the sports most affected
Formula 1 could have up to seven different regional betting sponsors, says ISG
Digital advertising technology could allow Formula 1 to have up to seven different regional betting sponsors, according to the sport’s global data and betting rights partner Interregional Sports Group.
CFA regulations create casualties on Chinese football clubs’ hard road to sustainability
The Chinese Football Association’s tough line on football club finances has cooled spending at the top level and is pushing lower-tier teams toward oblivion. Chen Yaolin reports.
Navigating the payments minefield is crucial for Asian OTT services
The English Premier League’s plans for an OTT service are focused on the Asian market, but the sheer variation in market conditions means existing OTT broadcasters are still figuring their way in the region.
B.League helps basketball bounce back in Japan
Kevin McCullagh looks at the growth of the B. League, Japan's domestic basketball league, and considers whether it might be the country's biggest sports expansion of the Reiwa era.
Can Chinese viewership help the Tour de Langkawi to fiscal health?
Malaysia’s UCI-certified Tour de Langkawi has long struggled with raising enough revenue to cover costs, but a path to break even may lie through China. SportBusiness’ Asia editor Kelvin Tan reports.
With infrastructure and administrative support, Malaysia’s first rugby stadium could unlock the sport’s commercial potential
Rugby has a surprisingly large cachet in Malaysia, but the sport’s commercial potential has always been limited by the lack of a home. John Duerden investigates how that could change with the construction of the country’s first rugby-specific stadium.
“We will not accept putting our content behind a paywall” | Jamie Lewin, Riot Games
Media rights are the fastest-growing revenue stream in esports – particularly in Asia – but, according to Riot Games’ head of strategic partnerships Jamie Lewin, they’re still a secondary target for game publishers. Kelvin Tan reports.