Getty Images
- Migu gets rights to all AFC national team and club tournaments from 2021 to 2024
- AFC and Football Marketing Asia to ‘explore’ using 5G for enhanced viewing
- FMA also marketing regional sponsorship rights in Japan, Southeast Asia, South Korea and Middle East
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced an expansive broadcast and sponsorship deal with Migu, the streaming platform owned by telecommunications giant China Mobile.
The agreement gives Migu rights to all national team and club tournaments organised by soccer’s governing body in Asia during the 2021 to 2024 cycle, including the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which is being hosted by China.
The rights package also includes qualifiers for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar and the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, as well as the AFC Champions League, the continent’s premier club competition, and the AFC Cup.
The deal was brokered by Super Sports Media, a subsidiary of Chinese sports and entertainment giant Wuhan DDMC Culture, and Football Marketing Asia (FMA), formerly known as DDMC Fortis, which in 2018 agreed a reported US$4 billion deal to exclusively market the AFC’s commercial rights for eight years from 2021.
In addition, the pact makes Migu the first ever official regional partner of AFC national team competitions in China. That sponsorship inventory was introduced by FMA and the AFC for the 2021 to 2024 cycle and is also available in markets such as Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC’s general secretary, said: “This deal demonstrates the tremendous value and huge appeal of the AFC’s competitions and we thank China Mobile Migu for the confidence they have shown in Asian football.
“We look forward to generating and sharing historic moments with China PR’s football-loving audiences by embracing the best available platforms and technology as the game in Asia moves into a new era.”
Yu Lingxiao, chief executive of Super Sports and chairman of FMA, added: “We will continue to promote the partnership between the AFC and China Mobile Migu in areas across broadcasting, event staging and marketing promotion. We will cooperate with the AFC to explore the 5G application and broadcasting technology innovation to bring fans a new experience of watching football live and at home in the future.”
