Tencent commits to enhanced coverage

NBA China and Tencent Holdings Limited on Wednesday announced the launch of the first NBA League Pass in China.

The premier live game subscription package marks the first time fans in China will have access to the full slate of live NBA games through personal computers and mobile devices.

Available on Tencent Sports, NBA League Pass will offer the ultimate viewing experience by initially providing fans with two subscription options, including access to all preseason and regular-season games, the All-Star game, playoffs, The Finals and NBA Summer League. Single game purchases for on-demand access are also available.

The Pass expands Tencent's live game offering beyond the current 600 games, original NBA programming and game highlights available each year to hundreds of millions of daily Tencent users.

"We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Tencent by launching NBA League Pass on digital and mobile platforms for the first time in China," said NBA China CEO David Shoemaker.

"This new offering is the perfect complement to the existing NBA content on Tencent platforms and is a great way to enhance the fan experience throughout China."

S.Y. Lau, senior executive vice-president of Tencent and president of Tencent's Online Media Group, is equally enthused.

"Tencent is very excited to introduce NBA League Pass to Chinese mainland for the first time and we are looking forward to bringing the full NBA season to our subscribers," he said.

"In the upcoming season, Tencent will continue to provide fans with enjoyable experiences through its advanced technology and high-quality products."

For the 2016-17 season, access to every NBA live game is priced at 1,080 yuan ($164) and fans can purchase single games for 15 yuan ($2.20).

In addition to NBA League Pass, Tencent will also provide fans with a Team Pass offering within Tencent Sports Service at 360 yuan ($55), which includes all the games for one NBA team.

NBA China and Tencent launched a five-year expansion of their partnership in January 2015, creating the league's largest international partnership and making Tencent the NBA's exclusive official digital broadcasting partner in China.

Under this partnership, Tencent live-streamed a record 600 games during the 2015-16 season while providing a wide range of NBA programming.

Last April, NBA China and Tencent launched the first NBA App in China to deliver the best Chinese-language fan mobile experience to millions of fans in the country.