MLB Games to Stream in China

LAS VEGAS: The U.S.’s Major League Baseball and Chinese eco-sports company Le Sports have teamed up to stream live MLB games in China.

The partnership will extend into mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau for a three-year period starting this month. Le Sports will hold exclusive media rights in China to broadcast 125 MLB games per season, along with Mandarin-language MLB programming, through its online platform, mobile applications and OTT devices. In addition to live streaming games, Le Sports will have rights to rebroadcast those games through video on demand.

“By working with MLB in China over the past three years on events, we saw just how appealing the league is to Chinese families, and how popular the games and MLB players have become to young sports fans in China,” said Le Sports CEO Zhenjian Lei. “We are excited to expand and extend our partnership with MLB.”

Lei added, “We are thrilled to bring even more baseball to Chinese fans as this sport becomes so much more popular to the Chinese people.”

“This historic partnership with Le Sports exemplifies Major League Baseball’s diversified approach to serving international communities,” said Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. “We are delighted to showcase Major League games in Mandarin throughout the distinctive, ever-growing ecosystem of Le Sports devices and apps. China is a crucial frontier for the development of baseball. Our new, prominent place on Le Sports platforms both reaffirms and expands our commitment to growing the game in China.”

“Over the last decade, MLB has worked steadily to lay a lasting foundation for baseball in China,” said MLB COO Tony Petitti. “We have made remarkable progress developing uniquely Chinese baseball content, enriching the curricula of local schools, and mentoring the first generation of top-flight homegrown players. This partnership is an encouraging inflection point in the story of MLB China. Le Sports is an invaluable media platform for global sports brands and will enhance all aspects of our presence in China.”

Le Sports Chairman Fei Gao said, “Baseball is a sport of ‘coming home,’ which matches our traditional Chinese family values perfectly. MLB has focused on working through local education and communities to influence more youth to play baseball. We will provide an enhanced viewing experience to Chinese fans, and encourage more families and young people to play and enjoy this amazing sport. I am excited to join forces with MLB. We also will work with MLB to provide fans with events, merchandise and other opportunities to enhance their enjoyment of baseball.”