Chinese internet operator Sina, owner of the Weibo microblogging service, has agreed a deal with the NBA to stream one game per day from the North American basketball league, according to Bloomberg.
Adam Silver, NBA deputy commissioner, confirmed the deal will begin with the 2013-14 season.
Under the agreement, Sina will also have reporters covering each of the NBA’s 30 teams and will produce a weekly programme. Sina is the NBA’s official internet partner in China and first signed a deal with the league in 2010.
Silver said 60 million people in China follow the competition on Weibo and the NBA was keen to further increase interest in the country. He also said the NBA’s international focus should be on “mobile first”.
He added: “It’s not repurposed programming but programming designed for mobile. That’s our opportunity in China, in Africa, and also India.”