CHIN A

A ND
FO OT B A L L
WORLD SPORT ’S
NEWEST SUPERPOWER

2016 NIELSEN SPORTS REPORT

 CHINA AND FOOTBALL
The growth of China in terms of its influence on the global sports
business is no secret. Be it investors from China acquiring and investing
THE WORLD OF SPORT
in sports properties across Europe, international leagues and teams
looking to tap into the country’s enormous population to engage a new
IS LOOKING TO CHINA
wave of fans, the buying or selling of key broadcast rights or China’s AND CHINA , INCREASINGLY,
strategic acquisition of major international sports events, the world of
sport has well and truly woken up to the possibilities the market offers. IS LOOKING TO
The world is looking to China and China, increasingly, is looking to the THE SPORTS WORLD.
world. Led by strategies developed at a national government level,
Chinese companies and individuals are making their mark on global
sport like never before. Football, as the world’s most popular and visible
sport, has proved magnetic in its attraction: the list of clubs and
agencies under Chinese control has grown substantially over the past
two years, while at the same time the domestic Chinese Super League
has risen in prominence, with fresh investment fuelling a number
of eye-catching transfers from more established domestic leagues.

The global sports calendar is also increasingly littered with major events
in China. Formula One has raced there since 2004, the FIBA Basketball
World Cup is heading there in 2019 and in 2022 Beijing will become
CONTENTS
the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games when
it plays host to the winter version. Given the size and fluidity of the
1
market and with new investments being made on a near-weekly basis,
a detailed understanding of the Chinese consumer is more vital 4 I T
 HE CHINESE CONSUMER
than ever. This Nielsen Sports report aims to provide an outline of that Understanding the consumer must be at the heart
consumer, China’s media landscape and where domestic and inter­ of any global sports organisation’s China strategy.
national football fits into the picture.
2
8 I MEDIA
GLENN LOVETT DANNY TOWNSEND China’s media landscape has changed dramatically,
led by a new wave of broadcast groups.

3
12 I CHINA’S
 FOOTBALL MARKET
The Chinese Super League is growing in
prominence and sparking international interest.

4
18 I CHINA’S INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT
China is increasingly looking at global sport as
a tool to raise profile and enhance business links.

2 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 3

 1

T HE CHINESE CHINA AT-A-GLANCE

CO N SUMER
China is a global powerhouse and it is no surprise that the sports industry –

1.37
teams, federations, leagues and sponsors – are looking towards the
country and its 1.37 billion people and eyeing major growth opportunities.
As China looks increasingly outwards at the opportunities investment
in sport at a global level can open up, so the world’s leading sports
leagues and teams have recognised the potential that exists to engage BILLION
UNDERSTANDING THE CHINESE a large group of new fans and unlock revenue opportunities within
China. Technology is opening up direct access to the Chinese consumer POPUL ATION
CONSUMER – THEIR LOCATIONS, HABITS like never before, underlining the opportunity – in 2015, for example,
the CIA World Factbook estimated there are now 1.305 billion mobile
AND PREFERENCES – IS A PRIORIT Y phones in the country.
July 2015 est. CIA World Factbook

FOR ANY GLOBAL SPORTS ORGANISATION.

AGE BREAKDOWN DEMOGRAPHICS

0–14 YEARS | 17%

15–24 YEARS | 14%
25–54 YEARS | 48%
55–64 YEARS | 11%
65 AND OVER | 10%
55.6%
URBAN POPULATION

36.8
YEARS
AVERAGE AGE

MAJOR CITIES
75.41
YEARS
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
million
LIFE EXPECTANCY

SHANGHAI 23.74

1.305
BEIJING 20.38

CHONGQING 13.3
BILLION
GUANGDONG 12.46 NUMBER OF
MOBILE PHONES:
TIANJIN 11.21

SHENZHEN 10.75
There are currently 1.3 billion mobile phones active in China. Source: CIA World Factbook

4 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 5

 STEADY GROWTH CURRENT CHINESE INTEREST LEVELS IN SELECTED SPORTS (%)

Football accounts for three of the top five most popular sports events COLOUR CODING INDICATES THE RATE OF CHANGE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS
in China, with the FIFA World Cup and National Basketball Association
STRONG GROWTH STEADY GROWTH PRETTY FLAT SLIGHT DECLINE
heading the list. Table tennis’ world championship is the only other

31%
non-football event to make the top five.

In terms of sports overall, interest in football has been growing steadily 26% 21% 14% 34% 31%
over the last 3 years, and now stands at 31% of the urban population
OF URBAN CHINA aged 16–59. Basketball is the country’s most popular sport – the China
Basketball Association, the top-tier basketball league in China, was
IS INTERESTED founded in 1995, while the NBA has played games in the country for over
IN FOOTBALL a decade – ahead of traditional favourites, table tennis and badminton. CYCLING MOTORSPORT MMA SWIMMING FOOTBALL

Sports such as cycling have grown in popularity recently, perhaps a

result of the increased national investment in a number of Olympic 23% 10% 10% 8%
sports in the build-up to Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games.
Motorsport and mixed martial arts are also growing strongly.

In terms of individual European football clubs, Real Madrid are currently

the most popular team in China. Italian clubs FC Internazionale and VOLLEYBALL GOLF BASEBALL RUGBY UNION
AC Milan also make the top three, largely for historic reasons – Serie A
was the first European league broadcast in China
40% 24% 20%

BASKETBALL ATHLETICS TENNIS

A Chinese fan holds the national
flag to support the country’s
football team at the 2015
MOST POPULAR EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CLUBS IN CHINA
37%
FIFA Women’s World Cup.
36%

1 2 3

TABLE TENNIS BADMINTON

106 106
Source: Nielsen Sports (Urban China), May 2016

127 MILLION MILLION

MILLION

FC INTERNAZIONALE AC MILAN
REAL MADRID

Source: Nielsen Sports, May 2015

6 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 7

 2

MED I A CHINA’S MEDIA

LANDSCAPE
CHINA’S MEDIA L ANDSCAPE China’s media landscape is transforming. The country has hundreds
of television broadcast stations, 20 of which are operated by broadcast
HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY giant China Central Television (CCTV) with the rest either provincial or
local city stations. It is also one of the world’s major advertising markets.
OVER THE PAST DECADE,
LED BY A NEW WAVE OF SPORTS A NEW BREED OF BROADCASTER
But a new wave of online media companies have emerged, reflecting
BROADCAST PL ATFORMS. the appetite of consumers and evolving technology, to challenge CCTV’s
historic dominance of premium domestic and international sports rights.
These emerging giants are increasingly incorporating the live streaming
of sports into a suite of services also including messaging platforms

680
such as Tencent’s QQ, WeChat, Sina Weibo plus retail and e-commerce,
smartphones and games.

Of China’s 1.37 billion population, there are currently 680 million active
internet users, with 653 million of them active users of social media. MILLION ACTIVE
577 million of those people are active on social platforms via a mobile.* INTERNET USERS

While television is still a primary source of information for much of

China’s population, particularly in non-urban areas, mobile is now close
to PC in terms of devices used to access online sports content.

*Source: We Are Social 2016 Digital Yearbook

WHAT DEVICES ARE PEOPLE USING TO GET ONLINE SPORTS INFORMATION?

1 2 3

82% 27%
79%

Celebrations during a live screening of the Super Bowl in Shanghai. Source: Nielsen China

8 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 9

 SELECTED SPORTS RIGHTS ACQUISITIONS BY CHINESE MEDIA GROUPS THREE KEY PLAYERS IN CHINA’S NEW BROADCAST RIGHTS MARKET

China’s new breed of digital broadcasters are now investing heavily in domestic and international sports rights,
JANUARY 2016 MAY 2016 to drive subscriptions and help showcase their other services. The major players in an increasingly competitive
Sina Sports – ‘long-term strategic Tencent – nine-year marketplace are developing long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with teams, leagues and events looking
agreement’ with the UFC, including partnership with FIBA, to raise their own profile and attract new viewers and fans in the country.
live streaming of UFC events international basketball’s
JANUARY 2015 in China and a website relaunch. governing body, covering
Tencent – NBA; five-year partnership two editions of FIBA
extension described as the ‘league’s Basketball World Cup and
largest international digital partnership’. other international events.

1/2015 5/2016

AUGUST 2015 FEBRUARY 2016

Tencent and Sina Sports – UEFA LeEco – acquired online multimedia
Champions League (246 matches per rights to the Chinese Super League for
season) and UEFA Europa League 2016 and 2017, in a sub-licensing deal
(205 matches per season) until 2018. with rights holder Ti’ao Power. In March,
LeEco announced the launch of a live
shopping service during live screenings,
an e-commerce initiative allowing
viewers the chance to buy official
merchandise as they stream games.

PLATFORM PREFERENCES Charlotte Hornets take on Los Angeles Clippers in a 2015 NBA pre-season game in Shanghai Tencent is the league’s Chinese digital partner.

THE CHINESE SPORTS PLATFORMS MOST FREQUENTLY USED TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT SPORT. TENCENT SINA SPORTS LEECO

A nine-year partnership with FIBA, As well as an agreement with UEFA, Formerly Letv, the online media
WHICH OF THESE PLATFORMS world basketball’s governing body, in Sina is in the first year of a multi-year company has secured an enviable
DO YOU FREQUENTLY USE TO FOLLOW SPORTS? May 2016 followed a five-year tie-up partnership with Manchester United – portfolio of broadcast rights to
with the NBA which includes live a tie-up which revolves around international events including
1 TENCENT 69% 5 PHOENIX SPORTS 32% 8 NETEASE SPORTS 27% streaming and related programming the distribution of the club’s MUTV agreements with Wimbledon, Tour de
across Tencent’s suite of apps and channel. In January 2016, the digital France, the US Golf Association, the
2 SINA SPORTS 57% 6 LE SPORTS 30% 9 HUPU SPORTS 24% websites. Tencent shares rights sports media platform signed a International Equestrian Federation,
to UEFA Champions League games long-term strategic agreement with the Football Association and,
3 CCTV5 WESBITE 38% 7 YOUKU SPORTS 27% 10 PPTV SPORTS 23% in China with Sina Sports, while the UFC. through a sub-licensing deal with
it also has a major content-sharing Super Sports, the Premier League.
agreement with ESPN.
4 SOHU SPORTS 36%
Source: Nielsen China

10 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 11

 BUILDING THE MARKET
The development of China’s professional football system – and its
increasing influence over world football – is being driven by government
strategies and investment plans, for both football specifically and the
wider sports industry. Chinese companies and wealthy individuals are CHINA AIMS TO
encouraged to invest heavily in events, teams, facilities, agencies and CREATE A

$813
sponsorships, inside and outside the country.

STRATEGIC GOALS
In October 2014, China’s government, through the General Administration
of Sport in China, outlined its plan to build a CNY5 trillion (US$813 BILLION SPORTS
billion) sports industry by 2025, a strategy which involves everything INDUSTRY BY 2025.
from promoting fitness, to encouraging foreign investment in sport
by opening up previously complicated administrative approval processes.
It is against this backdrop that a multitude of Chinese companies,
including headliners such as Wanda Group, Alibaba Group and property
giant Kaisa Group, which has created a multi-billion dollar fund
designed to assist with the construction of new sports facilities in the
country have invested.

Football is now part of the schools system in China, with major clubs
and their owners investing heavily in developing grassroots initiatives
and facilities – Guangzhou Evergrande, one of China’s most established
professional outfits (its outlay on international transfers was twice that
of any other club in the Chinese Super League in 2015, according to FIFA
TMS), has partnered with Real Madrid to develop a 50-pitch training
CHINA WANTS ONE
academy.
FOOTBALL PITCH
3 In April 2016, the Chinese Football Association unveiled its own plan FOR EVERY

10,000
for the country to become a ‘world football superpower’ by 2050,
with the aim of building participation levels and rapidly increasing the

CHIN A’ S
number of training centres and pitches across China – specifically
one football pitch for every 10,000 people by 2030. At a professional
level, performance targets have been set for the men’s and women’s PEOPLE BY 2030.

FO OT B A L L M A R KE T
national teams.

THE CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE IS GROWING IN PROMINENCE

AND SPARKING INTERNATIONAL INTEREST, INDICATIVE
OF CHINA’ S WIDER FOCUS ON FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT.

An all-action Chinese Super League encounter between Hebei CFFC and Guangzhou R&F in March 2016.

12 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 13

 CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE – WHO OWNS WHAT? BIGGEST TRANSFER
The property sector is particularly well represented amongst the 16 owners of clubs competing in this season’s
FEES PAID BY CHINESE
Chinese Super League. The investors have seen the potential in clubs of terms of acting as catalysts for wider development
of cities and areas surrounding stadiums (the model of building multi-purpose new stadiums, surrounded by retail,
SUPER LEAGUE CLUBS
leisure and residential developments is well-established across Europe – AS Roma’s new stadium project is a prime example).
The spending by Chinese clubs on international players over the past
three years has been eye-catching, with the influx of foreign talent
helping to drive global awareness of the Chinese Super League and
make it more attractive to international broadcasters – this season, for
the first time, Sky Sports has committed to live broadcasts of CSL matches,
B with evening games airing in a lunchtime slot on weekends in the UK.
P

J According to FIFA’s Transfer Matching System, spending by Chinese

G clubs on international transfers rose by 60.5% year on year between 2014
A and 2015. CSL clubs made headlines again during the 2016 transfer
O
N window, with Brazilian Hulk’s move from Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg
K to Shanghai SIPG for a fee reported to be $61 million breaking the
H country’s transfer record – $51 million, paid by Juangsu Suning for Shakhtar
Donestsk player Alex Teixeira a year earlier. CSL clubs have shown their
I M
L ability to not only spend heavily on transfer fees but also a willingness to
F pay players substantial salaries which has only served to increase the
C chances of top talent moving to China.

E
D

A BEIJING
 GUOAN
CITC Group 2014 TO 2015 CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE
(state investment company)

B CHANGCHUN
 YATAI G HEBEI
 CFFC L SHANGHAI
 GREENLAND
SPENDING BY ALL CHINESE CLUBS ON BIGGEST PLAYER TRANSFERS
Jilin Yatai Group China Fortune Land Development SHENHUA
PLAYER TRANSFERS
(real estate, coal mining, securities)
H HENAN
 JIANYE
Greenland Group (developer)
1 2 3
C CHONGQING LIFAN Jianye Residential Group (real estate) M SHANGHAI SIPG TOTAL SPENDING, MILLION $ HULK ALEX TEIXEIRA JACKSON MARTINEZ
 
Lifan Group Shanghai International Port Group  SPENDING ON PLAYERS
(motorcycles, cars, spare parts) I JIANGSU
 SUNING (port operator) FROM EUROPE, MILLION $
Suning Appliance Group
D GUANGZHOU
 EVERGRANDE (retailers, online retail) N SHIJIAZHUANG
 EVER BRIGHT
TAOBAO Hebel Ever Bright Real Estate
Evergrande Real Estate Group (60%); J LIAONING
 WHOWIN Development Co.
Alibaba (40%) Liaoning Sport Technology College/ 168.3
90.6
Huludao Hongyun O TIANJIN
 TEDA
E GUANGZHOU
 R&F Tianjin TEDA Group
44.0
101.8
Guangzhou R&F (property developers) K SHANDONG
 LUNENG (state-owned enterprise)
TAISHAN 2016/17 2015/16 2015/16
F HANGZHOU
 GREENTOWN Luneng Group P YANBIAN
 FUNDE Zenit St. Petersburg Shakhtar Donestsk Atletico Madrid
Greentown China Holdings Limited (electric energy provider) Yanbian Sports Bureau/Funder   
(real estate) Holdings Group (insurance) 2014 2015 SIPG JS Suning GZ Evergrande

Source: Nielsen Sports market intelligence Source: FIFA TMS Source: Nielsen Sports market intelligence

14 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 15

 EUROPEAN CLUBS A PERSPECTIVE ON CHINA AND FOOTBALL

OPERATING IN CHINA INTERVIEW ▸ SIMON CHADWICK, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of Salford, Manchester

Through a combination of digital tools (both the utilisation of social What’s your assessment of China’s growing influence in reciprocation – they trust you, you trust them – and both
media platforms and Chinese-language websites), pre-season tours and football? sides of the relationship win.
the development of local training camps and grassroots projects, the SIMON CHADWICK ▸ The club purchases, the acquisi-
major European football clubs have over the last decade built strategies to tion of agencies, the sponsorship deals, the inward invest- Are there opportunities for strategic tie-ups between
increase fan acquisition and retention in China. While the major European ment may seem to be football-focused, but ultimately it’s Chinese and European clubs?
leagues in which they play have developed broadcast strategies to ensure all about building an industrial sector over the next ten CHADWICK ▸ There will always be an element of com-
greater coverage of games in the country – Serie A was the first European years. Fundamentally, that’s what this is about. What the petitiveness in business, but there is a collaborative mod-
league to be broadcast in China in the late 1980s, a legacy of which is government is doing is to use football to drive China to- el of business too, and the world is full of collaborative
continuing high levels of support for major Italian clubs like AC Milan wards that vision. Within that, there is a particular view business opportunities. Perhaps this will force European
and Internazionale – Europe’s major clubs have also begun working with that if China can bid for the right to host the FIFA World football clubs to think more carefully about their business
local media partners to distribute club content or channels. Tie-ups Cup and then ideally win the World Cup then that will be models, their way of doing business, their way of conduct-
with local corporate partners in China have not only unlocked new revenue a key part of this move towards creating this domestic ing business and the way they formulate a strategy – espe-
streams but opened up new local market engagement opportunities. sports economy. cially in relation to China.

They are trying to build a sustainable and sizeable industri- Chinese football at the moment is engaged in competence
al sector – just as they’ve done in computing, with micro- acquisition. The Chinese are going through a period where
CASE STUDY chips and tablets, and just as they have in smartphones. they are acquiring competence. They are acquiring knowl-
We see it in scientific research, in space travel and even edge of how to run a football club, they’re acquiring FIFA
with military. It serves a number of purposes, notably eco- sponsorship so they can understand better how the global
BLAZING A TRAIL: THE NBA IN CHINA nomic and industrial strength, but essentially this is around governing body runs, they’re hiring players in order to up-
creating sports entities that will generate income for China, skill their domestic labour force, and if clubs were to think
The National Basketball Association has led the way in More than 760 million fans watched the NBA in China create jobs, create export earnings and then beyond that about it in those terms, it presents a commercial opportu-
terms of international sports leagues operating in China. during the 2015 –16 season. Media partners, including a maybe there will be an element of soft power and of spread- nity if they’re involved in this process of competence ac-
In 2008, the NBA announced the formation of NBA Chi- partnership of 30 years with CCTV provide fans with un- ing Chinese socio-cultural influence around the world. quisition. They just need to start thinking more laterally
na, a new entity to conduct all of the league’s business in precedented access to NBA games and content. Tencent, and creatively about the type of relationships they could
Greater China with five strategic partners: Disney/ ESPN, the league’s largest international partner streams 600 live How have European clubs’ strategies for growth in China have, and about how this impacts upon their strategies.
Bank of China Group Investment, Legend Holdings, Chi- games and content to hundreds of millions users on Ten- developed?
na Merchant Group, and Li Ka Shing Foundation. At the cent platforms each year. CHADWICK ▸ I think European football clubs have learnt How far away are we from seeing Chinese clubs think
time, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern said: “The op- about China, they’ve looked at the likes of the NBA and more globally?
portunity for basketball and the NBA in China is simply As well as regular promotional visits by league stars such learnt that you need to be more actively engaged in the CHADWICK ▸ It was extremely unhelpful that Guangzhou
extraordinary.” He added: “The expertise, resources and as LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the league has made coutnry, even with things like being available for auto- Evergrande got knocked out of the Asian Champions League
shared vision of these immensely successful companies China the centre of its annual pre-season Global Games graphs. There’s a greater appreciation beyond that for this season. Had they won, I think we were on the cusp of
will help us to achieve the potential we see in the region. series. October’s games in Shanghai and Beijing, involv- grassroots football projects, investment into community something quite significant happening: a Chinese football
The strategic investment from these companies will allow ing the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets, development. There is more sophistication there than 10 club being very prominent in several international markets
us to continue working with the General Administration of marked the tenth edition of the NBA Global Games in Chi- or 11 years ago. The way in which, for example, Bayern and gaining the potential to expand their business there.
Sports and the Chinese Basketball Association to grow na. The festivities around the NBA Global Games China Munich and FC Barcelona use social media in China is
our sport and emphasize, in both rural and urban Chinese 2016 included the fifth NBA Fan Appreciation Day, plus significant and I think Manchester City understand and Given the pace of what’s happening at the moment, given
communities, its contributions to fitness, healthy lifestyle NBA Cares and Jr. NBA community events. These double get much more what they need to do to be successful in the exposure that many of us now have to Chinese foot-
and an appreciation of teamwork.” up as activation opportunities for league partners, while China. Short-term, almost unilateral, approaches to foot- ball, familiarity will build. That process of brand familiarity
the NBA Global Games China series is presented this year ball there are likely to be largely unsuccessful. Clubs that and the building of some kind of affiliation with a brand
Today, the NBA is the most popular sports league in China by Master Kong; the NBA Fan Appreciation Day present- are going to succeed are those that engage in deeply- then leads on to loyalty. I think that will develop more and
▸
with more than 110 million followers on social media. ing sponsor is Dongfeng Nissan. rooted, mutually beneficial relationships where there is more within the next five years.

16 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 17

 4

CHIN A’ S GLOBAL INVESTMENT

IN T ER N AT IO N A L
Investment from Chinese companies and individuals in sport outside
China, through acquisitions in teams, agencies, events and sponsor-
ship, is increasing, with activity in football, as the leading global sport,

IN V ES TMEN T
leading the way. The country’s influence on the international sporting
stage is growing.

ACQUISITIONS AND SPONSORSHIP

After hosting the 2008 summer Olympic Games, widely considered
a breakthrough moment in how the world views China, Beijing stands
poised to become the first city to host summer and winter Games
CHINA IS INCREASINGLY LOOKING in 2022.

AT GLOBAL SPORT AS A TOOL

Other major events are now firmly established on the world sport calendar,
TO RAISE PROFILE, DEMONSTRATE with the country and some of its many international cities waking up
to the global profile sport can provide – and rights holders equally keen
SOFT POWER AND ENHANCE to establish themselves in a major new market: Formula One has raced in
Shanghai since 2004; Qingdao, a Beijing 2008 venue, has positioned
TOURISM AND BUSINESS LINKS.

8
itself as one of the world’s leading destinations for professional sailing;
Nanjing, meanwhile, staged the 2014 Youth Olympic Games to much
acclaim and will be one of eight Chinese host cities for the 2019 FIBA
Basketball World Cup. CHINESE CITIES
WILL HOST THE
Aside from the full or part acquisition of football teams across Europe,
Chinese companies are increasingly looking at football as a sponsorship 2019 BASKETBALL
platform – either at a global level, such as Wanda Group’s sponsorship WORLD CUP
of FIFA or smartphone manufacturer Huawei’s portfolio of sponsorship
deals with football clubs, or as a regional club or event sponsor.

Zhang Jindong, chairman of the Suning Holdings Group, announces Suning’s acquisition of Inter Milan in June 2016.

18 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 19

 CHINESE CLUB
OWNERSHIP
The past two years has seen a flurry of major investments by Chinese
firms and individuals in European football clubs. Storied names such as
AC Milan and Internazionale are now under Chinese control, while
stakes in other major teams, notably Atlético Madrid and Manchester
City, have been acquired by Chinese investors. Clubs at the top-level in
England, France, Italy and Spain are now under Chinese control –
F G
Germany’s regulations on club ownership have so far prevented any
J A
Chinese investment in Bundesliga teams. The map shows a selection of
major investments from China across Europe over the past two years.
D
CHINESE BRANDS AS SPONSORS
Although each investment differs from the others, depending on the C
company, individuals or club involved, the Chinese government’s I
football strategy appears to have been a catalyst. More investments are H
likely. Although European clubs received over $35 million annually from
Chinese sponsors during the 2015/16 season – the largest spend by a
single brand coming from smartphone manufacturer Huawei across a E
number of clubs – many Chinese companies and investors appear to B
have prioritised ownership of the assets themselves rather than aligning
with a club through sponsorship.

CHINESE SPONSORSHIP OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL (BY SECTOR)

6/2014 A DEN
 HAAG
Sold to United Vansen International Sports Company
43%
4/2015 B ATLÉTICO
 MADRID
Dalian Wanda took a 20% stake
29%
7/2015 C SOCHAUX
 8/2016 G WEST
 BROMWICH ALBION
Sold to LED lighting company Ledus Sold to investment group led by Guochuan Lai
11%
7% H AC
9/2015 D SLAVIA
 PRAGUE 7/2016
 MILAN
Energy firm CEFC acquired majority stake Sold to a Chinese consortium

PHONES OTHER FINANCE/ SPORTSWEAR/ 11/2015 E ESPANYOL 6/2016 I INTERNAZIONALE

 
(HARDWARE) BETTING EQUIPMENT Majority stake acquired by Rastar Group Retail giant Suning acquired a majority stake

12/2015 F CITY
 FOOTBALL GROUP 5/2016 J ASTON
 VILLA
China Media Capital acquired 13% stake US owner sold to Tony Xia’s Recon Group

Source: Sponsorglobe by Nielsen Sports (deals active in 2015/16 only) Source: Nielsen Sports market intelligence

20 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 21

 AGENTS OF CHANGE
While investments clubs and players tend to generate the most head-
lines, China is also establishing a growing influence on global football
through the acquisition of several major football agencies.

In February 2015, Dalian Wanda Group announced its acquisition of

Infront Sports & Media for $1.2 billion. Infront has a foothold in many
of the world’s major sports, not least football where it counts a variety of
clubs and federations as clients. Dalian Wanda Group has established
itself as a key player in global sport in recent times, with the acquisition
of the World Triathlon Corporation adding to its acquisition of Infront,
investment in Atlético Madrid and several projects aimed at developing
football within China.

Just over a year later, in May 2016, another major sports rights agency
received significant investment from China. MP & Silva, specialists in
sports media rights sales, announced the creation of a ‘strategic
partnership’ with Chinese financial services company Everbright and
internet entertainment company Baofeng, through an investment from
Shanghai Jin Xin. Boafeng and Everbright now own 65% of MP & Silva.
ABOUT NIELSEN
That investment came just five months after Gestifute, the Portuguese
football agency founded by renowned player agency Jorge Mendes,
launched a ‘strategic partnership’ with Foyo Culture and Entertainment Co., Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and
a subsidiary of Chinese investment group Fosun International. The measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and
company, perhaps best known for representing Cristiano Ronaldo, consumer information, television and other media measurement,
aims to become a force in the transfer of players to and from China. In online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in
July, Fosun followed up its Gestifute investment by acquiring English approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and
second-tier club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Diemen, the Netherlands.

For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company. All rights reserved.

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Photography: Cover, page 12, 15 and 18: AFP PHOTO/STR; Page 4:

Istockphoto/Todor Tsvetkov; Page 7: AFP PHOTO/Nicholas Kamm;
Page 8 and 11: AFP PHOTO/Johannes Eisele; Page 15 left: AFP PHOTO/
Olga Maltseva

22 CHINA AND FOOTBALL Copyright © 2016 The Nielsen Company 23