The NBA has been off television screens in China since October 4, 2019, but that changes very soon. The state-owned Chinese Central Television (CCTV) will air Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Friday night according to Front Office Sports.
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey set off something of an international’s incident last year when he tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong. The move angered the Chinese government and led to eleven China-based companies cutting ties with the NBA.
In February, before the realities of the Covid-19 Pandemic were clear, Adam Silver said that the league was set to lose $300 million this season. It has been estimated that prior to Morey’s tweet, China was the source of 10% of all NBA revenues.
“During the recent Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the NBA sent their well wishes to fans in China,” a statement issued to ESPN on behalf of CCTV reads. “We also took note of the league has been continuously delivering goodwill (to China), particularly making positive contributions to Chinese people’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic.”
Chinese fans have not been totally denied NBA content during the last 12 months. Tencent, the tech company behind TikTok and WeChat, has been streaming NBA games.
The NBA had good timing in signing a five-year deal worth $1.5 billion with Tencent. The two sides’ relationship dates back to July 2019, well before Morey’s tweet took the league off of linear TV in China.
