Covering all of China via television is no easy task. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that, for the first time ever, this year’s season opener with the New York Yankees at the Boston Red Sox home field, Fenway Park, will be available throughout China.
MLB has partnered with five broadcasters in China to reach an estimated 300 million fans. The 2010 MLB Championship Season opens on Sunday, April 4 at 8:05 pm ET, which is 8:05 am in Beijing.
Effective this year, Major League Baseball International (MLBI) has new agreements with two additional broadcast partners in China, Chongqing TV (CTV) and Shaanxi TV. MLBI has existing agreements with Guangdong TV (GDTV), Jiangsu TV and Shenzhen TV. The relationship with Jiangsu TV and Shenzhen TV began with the 2009 World Series and includes the 2010 MLB All-Star Game, 2010 World Series and episodes of “This Week in Baseball” (TWIB). Over the course of the 2010 season, Guangdong TV, one of the largest and most influential sports stations in southern China, will broadcast TWIB, Championship Season games and the World Series.
Elsewhere, MLBI has agreements with 90 television and radio partners to broadcast Championship Season games, the 2010 MLB All-Star Game and the 2010 postseason in 19 languages to fans in 219 countries and territories around the world. It recently announced a deal with WAPA for MLB broadcasts in Puerto Rico.
“We strive to bring the 30 MLB Clubs and the more than 800 MLB players – nearly 30% of whom hail from outside of the United States – to our international fan base. Television and radio exposure are a primary vehicle for doing this,” said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President, International Business Operations, Major League Baseball.
