Beijing (AFP).- Chinese public television broadcast its first US basketball league NBA game live in nearly a year and a half on Wednesday due to a controversy surrounding Hong Kong.
In October 2019, at a time when massive pro-democracy protests were taking place in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, then-Houston Rockets CEO Daryl Morey posted a message of support for the Hong Kong protesters.
His message on Twitter upset the Chinese power and caused a diplomatic crisis. Many major Chinese companies have cut ties with the NBA, while public television network CCTV has stopped broadcasting US championship games.
This Wednesday, CCTV aired the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz, which ended with a 121-115 victory for the former.
This is the first large-scale broadcast of an NBA game in China in a year and a half, since October 2020.
The outlet had boycotted the popular basketball league in October 2019 but made an exception a year later with the broadcast of a game. Since then, the NBA had not been seen openly on Chinese television.
CCTV could not immediately be reached to ask about the change in position. AFP’s requests to find out his position went unanswered.
The Internet giant Tencent continued to broadcast US basketball games but only to its subscribers, which meant a much smaller audience.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue recently criticized Daryl Morey, who now works for the Philadelphia 76ers.
“The last time I tweeted, it cost the NBA a billion dollars,” Lue was quoted as saying by the US press.
– “On knees” –
Rockets CEO Daryl Morey’s tweet sparked a serious crisis between China and the NBA. However, those responsible for the competition refused to apologize or sanction the manager despite the financial consequences of the controversy.
The return of the NBA to Chinese public television generated mixed reactions.
“It’s true? Does the official press get down on its knees? ”, A netizen wrote on the Weibo social network, referring to the absence of an apology from the NBA.
“I like my country, but that doesn’t stop me from watching the NBA,” another commented.
China, which has many basketball fans, is a juicy market for the sport.
However, both brands and athletes are exposed to repercussions when they venture into topics that are considered politically sensitive.
Via: metrolibre.com
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The NBA returns to Chinese public television after a boycott