The Sina Sports division of Chinese internet operator Sina has entered into a multi-year strategic partnership with the Global Poker League.
Sina Sports will provide full coverage of the league in China as part of the deal, which names the company the official digital media partner of the GPL in the country. Sina Sports will launch a dedicated poker channel on its digital platform to facilitate coverage of the league, which began its debut season earlier this month. The channel will become active early next month.
The GPL will be the main focus of the channel, which will live stream over 400 hours of games and events from the league. In a statement, Sina Sports said the partnership is “aimed at building a strong culture for the game of poker in China and growing more Chinese fans for one of the fastest-growing spectator sports”.
The GPL and Sina Sports will work on content specifically designed to educate Chinese fans that may be new to the sport. Under the agreement, Sina Sports will also be granted exclusive access to league events and leading players.
The two parties will organise events and shows for the Chinese market, with at least one Chinese franchise set to be introduced to the GPL from 2017. The Hong Kong Stars is currently the only Asian-based franchise competing in the league and many of its players are from China.
Arthur Wei, Sina Sports general manager and senior vice-president of Sina.com, said: “The time is right for a league like GPL to enter China. Already, Chinese people are used to poker-style games through playing traditional Chinese card games, and are looking for more diverse ways to play.
“Not only will GPL attract new sports fans, but it also will attract a following from Chinese people that may not consider themselves traditional sports fans. I believe that Sina Sports will be looked at for years to come as a visionary media company for having brought GPL into China.”
The inaugural GPL season began on April 5. The league comprises 12 franchises, which will go head-to-head throughout the season, culminating in a live playoff event in North America before heading to the SSE Arena in London, England for the GPL Finals on November 22-23.