The NHL Looks To Expand In China Prior To The Beijing 2022 Winter Games
As the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is approaching, the NHL, following the efforts of the NBA, is working on expanding its fanbase in China. China has more than 1.3 billion citizens, making it the world’s most populous nation. If the NHL can effectively reach the majority of the citizens before the Olympics, it has a high chance of expanding the popularity of the sport nationwide.
The NHL is working in conjunction with the Chinese government as they look to grow the popularity of winter sports. If the NHL can successfully work in conjunction with the Chinese government, there could be a tremendous opportunity for growth within the game. The NHL views China as an untapped investor who is looking to expand sports and sports viewership throughout the nation. Therefore, they have decided to take a two-pronged approach to grow its Chinese fanbase — preseason games as well as a comprehensive digital onslaught.
“Given the perfect storm of events, we felt it was a market that’s too attractive not to look at,” stated Dan Kim, NHL senior vice president of media distribution and strategy. “What we’re really looking to do is expand the base of hockey, knowing we have to focus on the core fans in China that love and play hockey and find ways to serve that audience, but also develop and build a more passive fanbase, no different than here and Canada.”
“Really the goal is to build as big of a fanbase as possible whether that’s through games, highlights or creating new and unique Chinese content.”
The NHL first entered the Chinese marketplace, setting up a pair of exhibition games between the Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings in September 2017. In conjunction with the games, Chinese officials and businessmen began discussing investing in an NHL franchise to obtain a team’s branding back in China.
“Our understanding is, they’re looking at building hundreds of rinks and arenas and looking for ways to introduce the game to people throughout the country — and that’s something we’ve been interested in exploring at all levels in the game,” stated NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Additionally, the NHL, through its broadcast partners CCTV5+ and Tencent, can broadcast almost 20 games a week during the regular season. CCTV5+, which also happens to be the second largest sports network, broadcasts four to five games a week reaching its 700 million viewers. Tencent can broadcast seven games a week for free, and another seven games are made available through their premium package.
However, while game broadcasts are popular, the NHL needed to evaluate how to reach China’s 1.3 million citizens effectively. After much due diligence, the NHL concluded they needed to expand their digital footprint in China. According to research done by Forbes, 802 million people actively use the internet in China, equaling 57.7% of the population as compared to 300 million in the US. And even more interesting, 788 million individuals are mobile users, which equals 98% of China’s total user base.
After understanding those statistics, in 2017, the NHL decided to launch official accounts with China’s two largest digital platforms, WeChat and Weibo. However, while the NHL was able to launch on both platforms, it became clear that unlike in the US, they would need to be on the ground in China to fully understand the best way to approach consumers and grow their fanbase. Having official digital accounts alone was not enough.
“We can prepare as much as we can, but it isn’t until you go over and do business and realize the importance of relationships,” stated Kim. “We launched both Weibo and WeChat and nurture them and grow the engagement and grow a healthy social media relationship.”
Also, the NHL knows it is critical that they understand how the NBA became so popular in China and has maintained their attractiveness over time. Not only have 17 of the 26 NBA teams played in China since 2004, but regarding partnerships, 25 companies, including Nike, Adidas, Gatorade, Anheuser-Busch, Spalding, and Clear have helped the NBA expand their fanbase.
“Of course we have to look at the NBA,” stated Kim. “But they’ve been in the market for 20 to 30 years, and we’ve had meaningful engagement for three years. We’re just at a different stage, but of course, it’d be silly not to try and adopt the best practices.”
However, while it is known that more than 300 million play basketball in China, hockey participation is somewhat uncertain. Therefore, if the NHL can increase hockey participation in China, they may also be growing their fanbase significantly.
“We do know there are pockets of hockey players,” stated Kim. “In the major cities, we’ve seen a lot of youth adult hockey being played with a love of the game and fervor that isn’t inconsistent with what we see while growing the game here.”
Therefore, while the NHL will continue to try and grow the game globally, it is the overall population in China that offers the possibility of exponential growth. And, relying on the research to date, the best way to reach the China fanbase is through digital platforms that can engage on a personal level. While the NHL does not have the same history in China as the NBA, they are confident that once they engage fans, those fans will be fans for life.
So as the NHL prepares for its official return to the Olympic stage in 2022, the goal is continued growth through increased knowledge of the game. It is essential to understand China’s fanbase and what they best respond to maximize the NHL’s influence and development.
