NCCA partners with China's Le Sports to bring live content to the mainland

United States college sports fever is coming to China as high-profiled National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) games will air in China on regular basis for the next two years.

NBA legend Bill Walton, Le Sports Chief Content Officer Liu Jianhong and Pac-12 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott at the Le Sports-Pac-12 partnership launching ceremony. [Photo for chinadaily.com.cn]

The partnership between Le Sports and NCAA's Pacific-12 Conference was announced in Shanghai on Thursday. More than 200 top-division games of Pac-12 university teams in multiple sports including basketball, American football and soccer will be broadcasted live on Le Sports' video-streaming website as well as their mobile platforms throughout the 2017 season.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed at the announcing press conference.

A series of physical education exchange programs including coaching seminars, school leader forums and player clinics between Pac-12 universities and their Chinese counterpart institutions will be organized as part of the agreement aimed at enhancing sport's role in China's higher education system.

As a major member of the NCAA, the Pac-12 conference represents 12 public and private universities in Western US, which have collectively won 478 NCAA titles since its establishment in 1915, more than any other conferences in the country.

The broadcasting deal was only one of NCAA's initiatives to tap into the Chinese market as the association will put on an up-close show by organizing its first regular season men's basketball game between the University of Washington and University of Texas in China at Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday.

Larry Scott, the commissioner of Pac-12 conference, said bringing collegiate games online and offline from US to China will help promote the importance of physical education while deepening mutual understandings.

"It's important to promote these (collegiate) sports international and China is of great importance to Pac-12 universities, which believe sport can be a great way to create understanding and connection," Scott said at the press conference.

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Cheerleaders of NCAA's Pacific-12 Conference.??[Photo for chinadaily.com.cn]

"In this case by participating in sports competition in China and by televising Pac-12 sports in China, it creates better understanding and goodwill between our two countries. We also believe in promoting this idea that education is not just about studying in the book for academic success but also being successful in other areas in your life like sports. That's what Pac-12 stands for and we are happy to showcase that in China by exposing Pac-12 sports through Le Sports."

Le Sports, the sports industry arm of China's major online video company LeTV Holdings Co Ltd, has shown its commitment to youth sports development in China by inking partnerships with English Premier League soccer club Manchester City and top Dutch club Ajax last month to provide youth soccer training programs online and offline.

Liu Jianhong, chief content officer of Le Sports said the cooperation with Pac-12 will build momentum to further boost sports participation of youth in China.

"The emphasis on academic excellence has overshadowed students' athletic participation in Chinese schools over the past decades," Liu said on Thursday.

"The exposure of the enthusiastic involvement of American students in athletic competitions in NCAA will inspire Chinese students to do so, and we hope to trigger a shift from academic study to a more balanced development in China by bringing more NCAA highlights here."