Tencent and NBA sign exclusive digital deal in China

Chinese internet company Tencent has struck an exclusive digital partnership with the North American NBA basketball league.

The deal will run for five years, from 2015-16 to 2019-20, and will start on July 1.

As the exclusive digital partner of the NBA in China, Tencent will feature a record number of live NBA games as well as original NBA programming and highlights, including pre-season and regular-season games, the All-Star event, the play-offs, finals, Summer League and the draft.

The coverage will be available to access through Tencent's NBA sections on QQ.com, v.QQ.com, QQ and Mobile QQ, Qzone, Weixin, the Tencent Video application and the Tencent News app.

Tencent and the NBA will also launch the first-ever NBA League Pass offering in China, providing fans with access to live and on-demand NBA games online and via mobile devices. Additionally, Tencent will launch the NBA Game Time app featuring extensive video highlights, news and statistics via mobile devices.

Tencent and the NBA will also jointly manage and operate the NBA's digital assets in China, including the official NBA.com/China website and sites for all of the league’s 30 teams, NBA events and merchandise.