FIBA, the global basketball governing body, has reached a new ‘landmark’ multi-year broadcast agreement in the Chinese market with mobile streaming service Migu, replacing previous partner Tencent.
Going forward, Migu will serve as the exclusive digital rightsholder in China for FIBA competitions for the next four years.
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This deal covers a period that includes the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, the men’s 2027 edition, qualifiers for those respective tournaments, and FIBA’s Continental Cup competitions, which include the Asia Cup and qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games.
This deal will also expand to youth category tournaments such as FIBA’s U17 and U19 Basketball World Cups for both men’s and women’s.
Over the period, FIBA and Migu will collaborate to enhance the viewing experience for Chinese fans using Migu’s proprietary 5G, AI, and metaverse technology to engage viewers.
Xiang Yang, Migu general manager, added: “Building on our experience in sports event operation, we will focus on FIBA's full-matrix event IP. Migu will deliver a richer, more immersive viewing experience to fans through professional commentary, customized programs, and intelligent technologies, and provide a platform for in-depth communication among basketball enthusiasts via community interactions and offline activities."
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By GlobalDataBasketball is hugely popular in China, and the Chinese national team stands among the strongest in Asia, having won a record 16 FIBA Asia Cups and a joint-record 12 Women’s Asia Cups.
Recently, China finished as runners-up at the 2025 men’s Asia Cup, losing out to Australia by only one point, while the women’s team finished third in the 2025 Women’s Asia Cup and runners-up in the 2022 Basketball World Cup.
Interest in the national team could be set to grow over the coming years thanks to young star Yang Hansen, who was drafted to North America’s elite NBA over the summer, becoming the league’s first Chinese player since Yi Jianlian was drafted in 2007.
Yang’s appearances in the NBA Summer League reportedly garnered more viewers in China than some games from the NBA Finals that preceded it, showcasing his significant viewership draw in the country.
Given that Migu also holds carriage rights to the NBA's League Pass offering in China, Yang’s NBA ascendency and this new suite of FIBA rights could go hand-in-hand to bring dividends to the broadcaster.
Migu is also partnered with the Chinese Basketball Association, organizer of the country’s top-flight competition, where much of the Chinese national team plays.
With the 2027 Women’s World Cup set to be held in Chengdu, China, Yang continued: “By leveraging FIBA's globally recognized portfolio of events across the world, this partnership represents a crucial step for Migu not only in deepening our sports content ecosystem but also in advancing our strategic transformation towards a media-rich, community-oriented, and intelligent platform.”
