Chinese car brand Dongfeng Qichen will be the lead sponsor of the Sina Golden League – the world’s biggest 3×3 basketball tournament – which tipped off this weekend.
The event is owned and operated by Sina Sports, one of the largest sports digital media platforms in China.
Now in its fifth year, the 2019 edition will take place in 120 cities and feature more than 100,000 amateur participants. Matches are played over seven months and are typically held in public squares, shopping malls and universities.
Under the one-year deal, the Dongfeng Qichen brand is designated as the ‘Top Sponsor’ and will emblazon the shirt fronts of all competing teams.
It will also get branding on four LED boards at Golden League events – around half the total board inventory per stop.
In addition, Dongfeng Qichen gets important online rights through the Sina-owned social media network Sina Weibo and the Sina Sports channel.
These rights include content branding on 600 game highlight videos.
Dongfeng Qichen took over the Top Sponsor position from Haima, another Chinese car brand.
According to Sam Li, head of international business strategy at Sina Sports, Chinese car brands are well-placed to pay the multi-million-dollar fees now commanded by the Top Sponsor position.
“We’re in 120 cities and able to work with their dealerships and retailers in a lot of cities,” Li told SportBusiness Sponsorship.
“A big strength is that we’re penetrating down into third-, fourth- and fifth-tier cities in China, so it’s not just in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.”
A full, subscription-only report on the Dongfeng Qichen deal will be published today in SportBusiness Sponsorship.