Web firms' deals show a desire for sports brands

Chinese Internet companies have signed two major deals with world-famous sporting brands, the latest in a growing trend of Chinese investment in overseas sports markets.

Le Sports, an arm of video-streaming website LeTV, has secured exclusive rights to broadcast 125 Major League Baseball games per season in China. The agreement will run until 2018.

"Despite the current low profile of baseball in China, the deal will help us explore the frontier of sports content (in China) and become a front-runner with unique resources," said Le Sports CEO Lei Zhenjian. The company has not released financial details of the deal, which was announced on Thursday.