Reaching fans

"We have a very large fan base here in China, so what we are attempting to do is to figure out how to best reach every fan," Ueberroth said.

The NBA's Beijing office is across the street from the construction site of the new office of China Central Television (CCTV). Currently, CCTV is the most important contact point between the US sports organization and Chinese basketball fans.

As part of its strategy to reach the hearts and minds of the world's most populous market, the NBA waived the fees for CCTV's first broadcast of the All-Star Games in 1987.

The national television network reaches 98 per cent of the Chinese population. The last All-Star Game broadcast on February 19 attracted 232 million Chinese viewers, which is 30 per cent more than last year.

However, CCTV currently only broadcasts a fraction of NBA games. There are about 50 NBA games a week. Of these, CCTV broadcasts four.

Finding and developing more channels is part of the NBA's plan to expand market penetration.

The NBA is already well-known in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai . Now, the organization wants to expand its reach into rural regions, following an expansion route that many multinationals such as P&G, Philips and HP are already taking.

"The opportunity is just at the starting point," said Ueberroth, who at 40 is the youngest NBA executive.

Despite her relatively young age, she's already established a successful track record by bringing the NBA to 188 international broadcasters this season.

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