Youku continues sports content push with new NFL digital partnership
The American National Football League (NFL) has expanded its partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba in China.
NFL’s partnership with Alibaba stretches back to 2013 when it opened its official merchandise flagship store on Tmall.
The new digital partnership in China aims to bring NFL football programming to Chinese fans on Youku, Alibaba’s video entertainment platform and will feature weekly programming on Youku’s sports channel, including game highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from NFL games such as the Super Bowl, NFL Kickoff, Thanksgiving, and the NFL International series.
In addition, NFL documentary films around NFL calendar events such as the NFL Draft will also be made available.
NFL’s partnership with Alibaba stretches back to 2013 when it opened its official merchandise flagship store on Tmall, Alibaba’s B2C marketplace.
“We are excited to partner with Youku to bring localized NFL highlights and content to the NFL’s rapidly growing fan base across China,” said Richard Young, the managing director of NFL China.
“Youku’s popularity and high-quality production will provide our fans more access to NFL action every week.”
Yang Weidong the president of Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group, president of Youku and chief executive of AliMusic previously spoke to The Drum about why Youku is investing in drama and sports content in its bid to win the battle for China’s online viewing audiences.