The International Canoe Federation’s events will continue to be broadcast on Chinese streaming platform Huya.tv as part of a renewed agreement with H&A Media, the media-rights consultancy and production company set up by former IEC in Sports and Lagardère Sports executive Guy Horne.
Huya is to stream live coverage of the ICF’s forthcoming canoe slalom World Cup events from Tacen in Slovenia and Pau in France, in addition to offering a replay of last weekend’s stop in Szeged, Hungary.
H&A Media brokered the initial agreement with Huya during the 2019 season. This included broadcasts of the ICF’s sanctioned events – inside and outside of China – in canoe sprint, slalom, marathon and stand-up paddling.
Adam Collins, the ICF’s digital manager, said: “Last year we tested the water to see how popular canoeing would be with Chinese sport fans, and the results were incredible.
“The China Canoe Association is one of our hardest working federations, has hosted several of our major events, and will host many more in the coming years. Our partnership with H&A Media will build on the work the CCA is doing to grow canoeing throughout China.”
The Lausanne-based H&A Media, which has a specific focus on the Asian market, was set up in April 2018 after Horne left the Lagardère Sports agency.
Julia Yang Zhenyi, H&A Media account director, said that the ICF’s canoe and kayak events in 2019 attracted over 30.1 million viewers on the Huya.com/PlanetCanoe channel. She added that H&A Media is “working closely with the China Canoeing Association, professional coaches and commentators and Huya.com to create a tailor made broadcast for the market”.