MIES (Switzerland) - An exciting new era for international basketball in one of the sport's biggest markets is ready for launch after FIBA reached an agreement with China Mobile's digital content platform, Migu. Migu will serve as the exclusive digital rights holder in China for the next four years, with FIBA basketball events broadcast on its platform expected to reach hundreds of millions of fans across the country. As a pioneer in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, AI, and the metaverse, Migu has long been renowned for leveraging its technical expertise to enhance the viewing experience for Chinese sports fans, having previously provided services for major sporting events like the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. Following the establishment of this partnership with FIBA, Migu will utilize its industry-leading platform to further optimize the viewing experience for basketball fans.
As China's biggest and premier sports content platform, Migu boasts a vast library of premium sports content resources, providing an unparalleled platform for the future broadcasting of FIBA events.
From now until 2029, Chinese basketball fans will have access to a wide array of FIBA international events, with the most anticipated highlights being the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Germany and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.
There will be much excitement among Chinese fans around the Women's World Cup next year in Berlin, with China having reached the Final of the previous edition in Sydney in 2022. Local fans will not have to wait long to support their national women's team at home, with China hosting one of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments in Wuhan in March 2026.
Furthermore, Migu will broadcast the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers alongside the 2027 and 2029 FIBA Continental Cups. These events include: FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA AmeriCup, FIBA AfroBasket, and their respective qualifiers. Building on the outstanding performance of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team at the recently concluded FIBA Asia Cup, fans can expect that the team will bring more surprises to viewers on Migu in the future.
Migu will also broadcast the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for men and women at LA 2028, and are also poised to showcase the rising stars of the global game with the FIBA U17 and FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups for both men and women. The FIBA U19 Women's World Cup 2027 has been confirmed to be held in Chengdu, China.
Frank Leenders, Director General of FIBA Media and Marketing Services, stated: "This partnership with Migu is tremendous news when it comes to expanding the audience reach of FIBA basketball inside China, but also to continue the growth of the sport globally given the popularity and size of the Chinese market.
"After strong showings at the recent FIBA Asia Cup tournaments for China, the partnership with China Mobile Migu Company comes at the perfect time. By working in partnership with China Mobile Migu Company and continuing to embrace new technologies and innovation, we are confident consumers in China will have an even more amazing and immersive fan experience moving forward."
Leenders concluded, "This is something to be very excited about and especially with so many fantastic FIBA international competitions lying in wait during this next four-year period."
Xiang Yang, General Manager of China Mobile Migu Company, stated, "By leveraging FIBA's globally recognized portfolio of events across the world, this partnership represents a crucial step for Migu not only in deepening our sports content ecosystem but also in advancing our strategic transformation towards a media-rich, community-oriented, and intelligent platform.
"Building on our experience in sports event operation, we will focus on FIBA's full-matrix event IP. Migu will deliver a richer, more immersive viewing experience to fans through professional commentary, customized programs and intelligent technologies, and provide a platform for in-depth communication among basketball enthusiasts via community interactions and offline activities."
Xiang Yang concluded by stating, "The collaboration between Migu and FIBA can truly be regarded as a win-win choice. This inspiring partnership will undoubtedly make the four-year basketball event even more spectacular. I look forward to witnessing the ultimate display of basketball's charm together with Chinese basketball enthusiasts!"
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About FIBA FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 212 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
For further information about FIBA, visit fiba.basketball and about.fiba.basketball or follow FIBA on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About Migu Migu, founded by China Mobile as its internet content platform entity, is dedicated to integrating content production, curation, and distribution while driving innovation at the convergence of content and technology. It continuously fulfills the people's needs for an enriched digital cultural life. After a decade of development, Migu has become the largest culture-tech enterprise, the largest internet platform, and the largest new media platform among state-owned central enterprises.