Home Run! MLB Inks Deal to Broadcast 125 Live Games in China for Next Three Baseball Seasons
Great news for American baseball fans in China: 125 live games will be broadcast in China over the internet for free for each of the next three seasons, including the All-Star Game and the World Series.
The three-year deal with LeSports means China’s bangqiu mi can tune in to four live games in high definition each week for the regular season, 20 postseason games, the All-Star Game, the Home Run Derby, and all of the World Series.
"China is a crucial frontier for the development of baseball," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was quoted as saying. "Our new, prominent place on LeSports platforms both reaffirms and expands our commitment to growing the game in China."
The announcement comes as a great leap forward for China-based fans, who previously had to either buy a digital subscription package or rely on spotty satellite coverage to watch games.
Baseball has had nowhere near the success of US professional basketball in converting Chinese fans, a frustration for the league that has seen sustained success in nearby markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Of the four major professional team sports in the US – baseball, football, basketball, and hockey – baseball is arguably the least popular.
Not that MLB isn't trying to change that: MLB has had a China office since 2007 and in recent years they've been putting a heavy push on teaching the game to kids and also fostering local talent via three Chinese training centers. That program produced Itchy Xu, the first PRC national to sign a deal with a major league club (Xu will report to the Baltimore Orioles training camp this coming spring).
Baseball was featured in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the fields were torn down shortly after the end of the Games.
China does, however, have its own professional baseball league, of which Beijing's team is a regular champion.
No schedule has been announced for what games will be shown in 2016, but stay tuned to LeSports' Major League Baseball channel at mlb.lesports.com where you can check out highlights of last season's World Series, instructional videos on the basics of the sport, and of course (this being a Chinese sports channel) a fine selection of babe videos under the heading of "Sexy Baseball Stadium (性感棒球场)" such as coverage of a bikini party hosted by Jose Canseco.
In the meantime, get hyped by watching this MLB promotional video. Play Ball!
