Online streaming company PPTV has agreed an exclusive deal for domestic digital media rights to the Chinese Super League club football competition.
The agreement covers the 2017 CSL season, which commenced today (Friday), and grants PPTV exclusive rights across PC and mobile devices.
The TechNode.com website said the one-season deal will be worth CNY1.35bn (€184.8m/$196.3m). It has been struck with the China Sports Media agency.
CSM acquired CSL global rights in a five-year deal from 2016 to 2020. CSM sold on digital rights to LeSports under a two-season agreement struck in March 2016.
PPTV’s deal will see LeSports loses its coverage of the CSL in another blow to the company. CSM this week acquired rights in the country for Asian Football Confederation events after the governing body terminated an agreement with LeSports, which is operated by Chinese internet company LeEco.
CSM’s deal will run for the remainder of the four-year cycle, from 2017 to 2020. The exclusive deal covers the Asian Champions League, Asia’s final round of qualifying for the 2018 Fifa World Cup and the Asian Cup from 2017 to 2020.
The AFC said that it had “no alternative but to terminate its contract with LeTV, which had been signed in August 2015.” It had earlier been reported by the Reuters news agency that LeSports had fallen behind with rights-fee instalments.