The PGA of America partnered with digital sports media platform Sina Sports on a multi-year agreement announced Friday that will enable a web and social media presence in China for a sport that continues to grow in the country.
PGA of America will license its library of content to Sina Sports and create a dedicated microsite. Sina Sports will use social media platform Weibo to promote PGA of America.
“The opportunity to showcase the unparalleled expertise of PGA Professionals, as well as deliver engaging PGA.com content through Sina Sports in Greater China is a tremendous growth-of-the-game opportunity,” Pete Bevacqua, CEO of PGA of America, said in a statement. “This partnership will enable us to expand the PGA of America’s global outreach in this emerging market through highly popular Web and social media outlets.”
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The announcement happened to come five days after Dou Zecheng became the first Chinese golfer to earn a PGA Tour card. Jin Cheng in 2016 became only the fourth player from China to compete in the Masters Tournament. PGA Junior League Golf, the PGA of America’s youth golf program, will launch in China this summer for boys and girls ages 13 and under.
Besides the promotion of PGA Junior Golf League, the deal includes highlights of PGA of America events and PGA Professional video instruction.
“Our golf and sports fans are always looking for top-quality videos and stories, so we’re looking forward to promoting a wide variety of content from such a world renowned organization dedicated to the growth and enjoyment of the game of golf,” Sina Sports General Manager Arthur Wei said in a statement.
It was in April when Sina Sports announced it had reached a longterm strategic relationship with the PGA Tour and the LPGA on highlights and video content including player interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and tournament recaps. The relationship included a commitment to promoting golf through interactions on Sina Weibo.
And Sina Weibo has done recent deals with other major American sports leagues. It partnered with NBA China on providing an official social media platform along with collaboration on broadcasts of NBA China events and other video programming. The NFL earlier this year became the first sports league to begin live streaming games on Sina Weibo.