By Xinhua sports photographer/writer Qin Lang
NEW YORK, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- With the NBA China Games having wrapped up in the country's southern metropolis of Shenzhen, it is a good time to take stock of what lies ahead for the sport of basketball here in China.
The huge amount of publicity surrounding the events and the tens of thousands of Chinese fans who came out to enjoy the games are both a testament to the massive amount of untapped energy that still exists for China's favorite sport. There are a great deal of reciprocal benefits that can be reaped if both sides are willing to deepen and expand their cooperation in the future.
The NBA has a number of unique assets to offer Chinese audiences. First and foremost, its clubs can play games at a level of competition that we just don't see in the domestic Chinese basketball league. The presence of a few international players in domestic Chinese clubs is a flimsy substitute for seeing two teams made up of some of the world's best players compete. Chinese audiences are aware of this fact, and they are willing to pay top dollar in order to avail themselves of top-level play on court.
The NBA can also offer its content to Chinese audiences in digital format. Digital streaming services offer the NBA new avenues to make its games available to more and more audiences. Making all NBA games readily streamable in China will increase the already considerable popularity of the league here. The NBA can also monetize these streaming services, both with subscription fees and with ads and other marketing targeted at Chinese audiences.
There is also a great deal that the Chinese market offers to NBA clubs who are willing to invest the time, resources and manpower to enter the market. Chinese fans have an enthusiasm for the top clubs in basketball that in many cases surpasses their American counterparts.
As the spending power of the average Chinese consumer continues to grow, there will be an ever-greater depth of resources for American basketball clubs to tap into. But doing so is not a quick or simple proposition. Clubs will have to be willing to invest serious amounts of capital into market research and advertising.
Expanding their presence in China also affords opportunities for American basketball clubs to increase their international name recognition in the world's fastest-growing sports and entertainment consumer market. Each NBA club has the opportunity to transform into a brand unto itself in the still untapped Chinese market.
Although many of the biggest stars in the sport have become household names in China, the strengths of individual teams, their unique identities and the tactical approaches which they take on the court, are still not widely understood by average Chinese consumers. If clubs are willing to invest in branding and merchandising and to stick with it for the long haul, the sky is the limit as to the growth in popularity (and in revenue) that they can expect from the Chinese market. (Edited by Spencer Musick)