NBA China and Tencent announced the launch of the first NBA League Pass in China on Wednesday. This is the first time that people in China will have access to all live NBA games on League Pass for their personal computers and mobile devices.
“We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Tencent by launching NBA League Pass on digital and mobile platforms for the first time in China,” NBA China CEO David Shoemaker said in a statement. “This new offering is the perfect complement to the existing NBA content on Tencent platforms and is a great way to enhance the fan experience throughout China.”
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The NBA’s relationship with China isn’t new. The league first hosted the Chinese national team back in 1985 and currently, the NBA has a 25-year-old partnership with national broadcaster CCTV.
In 2004, the NBA became the first professional sports league in America to play games in China. Since then, 13 NBA teams have played 22 games throughout China.
With the new streaming partnership for online and mobile devices, fans will have two subscription options. With the first option, fans are able to view all preseason, regular season, playoff, All-Star and Finals games. The second option allows fans to purchase single games on-demand.
For the 2016-17 season, the package deal is priced at RMB 1,080 or $164 in the United States. Single-game access can be purchased for RMB 15 or $2.20 U.S. per game.
Earlier this year, NBA China and Tencent also launched the first NBA App in China. Tencent, which was founded in Shenzhen in 1998, is China’s largest Internet service portal. The company went public in 2004.