BEIJING, CHINA, September 14th,
2004 - NBA.com, the official website of the National Basketball
Association, and SOHU.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), China's leading online
media, communications, commerce and mobile value-added services company,
announced today they have renewed their two-year relationship to continue
to jointly develop the NBA's comprehensive Chinese destination, NBA.com/china
and unveil new wireless NBA licensed products and services to the Chinese
market.
SOHU will also work with the NBA to produce the official NBA.com/china
section for the first-ever NBA China Games featuring preseason games
between the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings on October 14, 2004
in Shanghai and October 17, 2004 in Beijing.
As a part of the NBA.com Network of more than 60 sites, NBA.com/china
will continue to provide millions of NBA fans across China with extensive
NBA coverage year-round, further enhanced by additional video content
and new interactive sections. SOHU will continue to host, publish and
promote the site in China.
The NBA and SOHU's new wireless content service will provide NBA logos,
photos, scores and other news updates, as well as individual player
statistics for delivery to Chinese mobile phone users.
"We are very pleased to prolong our cooperation with NBA.com and extend
it from a pure online into a combined online and wireless relationship,
which is in line with our long-term strategic vision," said Charles
Zhang, Chairman and CEO of SOHU. "We are keen to engage in strategic
content partnerships that build on the synergy between online and wireless
consumer businesses in China as we expect these to increasingly morph
in the coming years. And with 80 million Internet users online and 300
million mobile phone subscribers, exclusive and branded content providers
have a can't-miss opportunity to reach Chinese consumers and become
part of their daily lifestyle of always-on connectivity."
"The expansion of our relationship with SOHU fits in perfectly with
the NBA's long-term strategy of growth via global expansion and through
technological innovation," said Michael B. Denzel, Vice President and
Managing Director, NBA Asia, Limited. "The enhancements we jointly plan
with SOHU to make to NBA.com/china, and particularly the addition of
wireless offerings, will continue to attract a growing base of fans
in China."
"Now that the sports world's attention has turned to China after the
closing of the recent 2004 Athens Olympics in anticipation of the 2008
Beijing Olympics, SOHU is keen to team up with established sports entities
that help make our portal the first sports destination of choice," said
Victor Koo, President and COO of SOHU. "In the past two years we have
engaged in a series of partnerships covering an ever wider range of
sports, including soccer, basketball, tennis and auto racing. We aim
to become the dominant online and wireless sports destination in China."
"SOHU has been one of our most important NBA partners over the past
two years as they have very effectively facilitated the communication
of NBA news and imagery to our millions of NBA fans across China via
the internet," said Mark Fischer, Managing Director - China, NBA Asia,
Limited. "We are delighted to have expanded our partnership with such
a leading and innovative internet and wireless player in this key market."
NBA.com/china features all the latest NBA news, feature stories, photos,
video and audio clips, real-time scores, play-by-play updates, boxscores,
standings, and statistics. Chinese fans can also use the site to access
the latest information on NBA players and NBA history, as well as selected
post-game press conferences and player chats. The site furthermore includes
special pages and coverage of NBA events such as the NBA China Games
2004, NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs, The Finals, NBA Draft, and various
other NBA grassroots programs and promotions taking place in China throughout
the year.
Basketball is the most popular sports in China and played in virtually
every school around the country. The strong performance at the Olympics
of the Chinese men's team, which reached the quarter finals, and tremendous
popular appeal of NBA player Yao Ming, have added extra appeal to the
game in the world's biggest potential market. According to China's Ministry
of Sports, there are already more than 250 million basketball players
at one level or another in China, and the NBA's popularity and television
viewership continues to grow.
The NBA's and SOHU's youthful core audiences correlate very well. In
China's major cities, surveys show that in the 15-24 age group, 75%
of males and 57% of all consumers 15-24 consider themselves to be NBA
fans. Meanwhile, 97% of all consumers in China are aware of the NBA,
and tens of millions watch NBA games on CCTV and a dozen other regional
broadcasters across China every week during the NBA season.
About the NBA China Games 2004
The NBA China Games 2004 is organized in conjunction with the respective
Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sport and Shanghai Administration of Sports.
Since joining the league in 2002, the NBA China Games will be the first
time Yao Ming returns to his native country with his NBA team, the Houston
Rockets. The two games are an extension of the league's long-standing
relationship with China that dates back to 1978-79, when the NBA champion
Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) traveled to China to
play two exhibition games against the Chinese National team.
About SOHU.com
SOHU.com is the leading Internet portal in Mainland China with current
daily page views exceeding 12 million. It provides navigation/search,
news, sports, business and finance, real estate channel, entertainment,
chat, email and e-commerce activities for a solid and wide base of visitors.
Dr. Charles Zhang founded SOHU.com in 1997. Its investors include Intel,
Dow Jones, IDG, the Morningside China Group, PCCW, Legend and Hikari.
Its content partners include CNET, DOW Jones and dozens of local media
organizations in China.
For further information:
Dahlia Wei
SOHU Investor Relations and Communications
Tel: +86 10 6272 6598
E-mail: ir@sohu-inc.com
http://www.sohu.com/about/English/ |