Feb. 03--Some ESPN analysts might want to brush up on their Mandarin.
The Walt Disney Co.-owned sports media company announced Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Internet giant Tencent that will bring its sports content and programming to China.
As part of the deal, ESPN will provide Chinese-language analysis for Tencent's live sports coverage, which includes NBA games and international soccer. ESPN will also provide a weekly NBA opinion and debate program for Tencent users.
Tencent will also license from ESPN the exclusive, live digital rights in mainland China to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, more than 100 regular season college basketball games and ESPN's extreme sports event, the X Games.
ESPN will have dedicated Chinese-speaking content experts and on-air talent to support the joint effort.
Tencent's QQ Sports (Sports.qq.com), a leading Chinese online sports portal, will launch an ESPN section. ESPN's content will also be integrated across other QQ.com channels and sections.
Tencent is one of the largest technology companies in the world, valued at $76.5 billion, according to data from the market research firm Millward Brown.
"We're really pleased to establish this relationship with ESPN, a world leading sports media group," SY Lau, senior executive vice president of Tencent and president of its Online Media Group said in a statement announcing the deal. "It will accelerate Tencent's development as a comprehensive and professional digital platform and set benchmarks for the Chinese sports media sector."
Russell Wolff, executive vice president of ESPN International, said the deal "marks an exciting new era for ESPN's global business."
