NFL is first to stream live sports on a key Chinese social network
Sina Weibo users can tune into numerous big games, including the Super Bowl.
If you enjoy Twitter's live NFL games, you might just feel jealous very shortly. The NFL has struck a deal that will make it the first sports league to livestream on Sina Weibo, one of China's largest social networks. The service has already streamed six regular games so far, but the pact will also have it provide the last Sunday Night Football game, a trio of playoff games and even the Super Bowl. Yes, you read that correctly -- in one way, Chinese fans will have easier access to the biggest football game of the year than their American counterparts.
The agreement also gives Sina the right to show out-of-game on-demand clips, highlight videos and other footage.
It's not hard to see why the NFL would go this route. Many NFL games don't start at a convenient time for Chinese viewers, so TV coverage (and of course, the high-profile ad campaigns that follow) isn't nearly as important as it is in the US. And of course, American football isn't nearly as much of a cultural institution in China as it is in its home country. Sina Weibo's livestreams could serve as a form of marketing for the NFL, giving it exposure that it otherwise wouldn't get.
