China Central Television (CCTV) has announced its intention to broadcast the fifth game of the NBA Finals live, according to information published by ESPN. A news devoid of all kinds of interest if it were not because since the last broadcast of an official league game by the network, more than a year has passed.
The state network began broadcasting NBA games in the early 1990s. However, it removed all of these sports events from its programming following the tweet posted by Daryl Morey, general manager Rockets, in which he supported the protests in Hong Kong. Immediately, several entities in the Asian country, including the Chinese Basketball Association (led by Yao Ming), chose to cut ties with the Rockets and the entire organization.
In its official statement, CCTV cited the help offered by the NBA in the fight against COVID-19 in the country as one of the main reasons for resuming broadcasts. The organization donated more than a million dollars and medical equipment to the Asian giant at the beginning of the year, coinciding with the start of the pandemic.
This is an important step in the recovery of relations between the NBA and China, which were seriously damaged as a result of Morey’s political stance. His dismissal was demanded from the Asian country, a request to which Adam Silver refused, showing all his support for the executive.
Thereafter, the commissioner established as a top priority the restoration of this feedback, both sports and business. Silver acknowledged in February that the NBA was facing losses of more than $ 300 million as numerous Chinese companies withdrew their support for the competition. Just a month later, COVID-19 forced the competition to stop for four months, deepening this internal economic crisis.
Last year, the NBA announced a television agreement worth 1,500 million with the Chinese multinational Tencent, which is, precisely, a collaborating partner of ESPN, to broadcast NBA games in China for five years.
(Cover photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images)
