In November 2017 e-Sports was recognized as a sports activity by the International Olympic Committee, and thus, the world of sports entered a new era. We are yet to witness the growth curve of e-Sports that will follow, however as the new generation of so-called millennials is the power-engine of it, a near-future continuance of its rapid development should be expected.
China has a greater plan, and that was yet again reminded to all of us earlier this month when the State Council released new regulation aiming to put a stop to any “irrational” outbound direct investments. Purchasing sports clubs or movie studios, investing in entertainment or in gambling, in hotels or properties that don’t have any relation to the investor’s main business, doesn’t help in any way the most important project for China – the development and promotion of the “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative and Beijing insists on being very clear that is a problem.
In case you haven’t heard yet, a year-long legal battle is over. Last week, the People’s Higher Court of Fujian Province ruled in favor of the American sports apparel and footwear brand Under Armour suing the Chinese copycat Uncle Martian for trademark infringement. In conclusion, the copycat must pay approximately $300,000 USD in damages, publish a statement to eliminate the deleterious effect of the infringement and to destroy all infringing products. Continue reading
Progress is always knocking on the door. However, there has been a particular technology that we left “standing” affront of that same door for the past nearly thirty years (at least in the form we know nowadays).[1] Virtual Reality is not new, but more and more new applications of it are presented to us literally with the speed of the light. In order of this article to be concise, we will concentrate only on the VR’s impact on sports but should be noted the huge influence the technology has in medicine, media, marketing and many other spheres of our lives. [2]
In recent years, celebrity endorsement has become one of the most popular and remunerative marketing strategies in the world of marketing. Brands often want to be identified with famous celebrities and use their status to attract customers. By associating their names with famous actors, models, sports personalities or other public figures, companies aim to improve their brand image and build customer loyalty.
At a recent review session of the Film Industry Promotion Law (2nd Discussion Draft), a number of NPC Standing Committee (the “Committee”) members called for an upper limit on compensations for actors in movies and TV shows.[1] To combat what is known as “sky-high film compensations,” the Committee proposes that the total payments to all actors in a film should not exceed 30% of the total production cost.[2]
Football fans might have noticed Hisense billboards featured in all the UEFA EURO 2016 matches. The Chinese electronic giant joined other top brands, including Adidas, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Continental, Hyundai-Kia, McDonald’s, Orange, SOCAR and Turkish Airlines, as a partner of the EURO 2016 tournament.[i] Although the official sponsorship fee has not been disclosed, Hisense is said to have invested a sum of 370 million yuan to appear in this European soccer event. Despite the fact that this amount corresponds to 25% of the company’s 2015 net profit, the board was confident to recoup the investment after only the group stage of the tournament.[ii]
The Communist government in China has long had an uncomfortable relationship with gambling, but the mounting interest in sports betting may make the country’s leaders rethink some of its policies. Gambling has been outlawed since the establishment of the “new China” by Mao Zedong. Despite the government’s effort to quash nearly all forms of wagering, people’s love for gambling only seems to grow as the average income rises. Lately, this trend has been aided by President Xi Jinping’s promotion of the sports industry, especially in the sport of soccer. During the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, police seized tens of millions of dollars and arrested over 500 people in crackdowns on illegal gambling operations.
The overall Chinese economy seems to be slowing down. Certain aspects of the economy, however, are growing fast. Fueled by an expanding middle class and the State government’s effort to transition from a manufacturing economy to a service one, the movie industry is growing at an extraordinary pace despite the downward pressure of the overall economy.
A brand “new” mobile video game for smartphones has just been released in China. The name of this game sure sounds familiar to any video gamer’s ears – Pocket All-Stars Smash Bros. This name reminds us of the beloved and famous Nintendo Super Smash Bros. multiplayer fighting game franchise, which allows players to brawl using their favorite Nintendo characters in epic matches. However, the characters used in the Chinese Pocket All-Stars version are identical to the ones in the Nintendo game.
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