Beijing’s former mayor Liu Jingmin has called for an end to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s “monopoly” control over nationwide sports coverage.
“A second national sports channel should be established or some provincial satellite television stations should be allowed to broadcast sports events nationally,” Liu, who is also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said, according to the China Daily newspaper.
CCTV-5, also known as the Sports Channel, is the main sports broadcaster in China.
Comparing the Chinese market to that of the United States, Liu added: “NBA revenues mainly come from television rights, but organisers of sports events in China need to pay for television broadcasting.”