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Reuters

As millions around the world settled into couches and tuned into the Super Bowl on big-screen TVs on Sunday, fans in China watched the New England Patriots stun the Atlanta Falcons on mobile phones and tablets – on their way to work.
The National Football League is looking to score with viewers in China, where games often start during morning rush hour, via a push online. For the first time, the Super Bowl streamed live on popular messaging platform Sina Weibo.
The stakes are high for the league’s bid to tap the enormous potential of China’s 1.4 billion people.
US sports leagues and media companies are increasingly looking to China’s market for growth. World Wrestling Entertainment, for example, is training Chinese athletes in hopes of turning them into television sensations.

As the Patriots mounted a stirring comeback against the Falcons, a major hurdle was that the Sunday afternoon US kickoff was at 7:30 on Monday morning in China, 14 hours ahead of game time at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
“I watched the first half when stuck in a traffic jam,” one viewer wrote in the Weibo livestream forum. “For the second half, I had to be careful not to be caught by my boss at work.”
Tom Brady says Super Bowl game jersey was stolen from New England Patriots locker room
Just over 3 million people tuned into the livestream to watch the game, according to a viewer count on the site. Others watched via platforms like Tencent and LeSports.
China’s interest in football, however, remains a challenge. The sport is still new to China, and the NFL is pushing tie-ups with more than a dozen platforms on regular television and online to reach viewers, even at rush hour, NFL China managing director Richard Young said in recent interviews.

“They watch [the games], they pause them. They get on and off the bus and on and off the taxi,” Young said.
The NFL wants to build enthusiasm in China and other overseas markets after a season in which US television viewership dropped 8 per cent, according to Nielsen data, to a weekly average audience of 16.5 million.
Falcons’ Super Bowl flop against New England Patriots a new low for Atlanta's sad sporting history
About 1.5 million people in China now watch live NFL matchups each week on digital platforms, Young said. Many are young people aged 20 to 30 who catch games on mobile phones as they commute, he said.
Some Chinese fans follow the league by watching only highlights rather than entire games. The NFL provides near-live recaps with a series of short clips that show big plays soon after they occur on the field.

The fan base in China – though small – has grown 1,000 per cent over the past five years, Young said.
The Super Bowl broadcast in China featured Chinese graphics and announcers explaining the rules and plays.
The NFL hosted “boot camps” for Chinese commentators to sharpen their knowledge on touchdowns, fumbles and other football jargon.
Heroic Tom Brady leads New England Patriots to thrilling Super Bowl win after record comeback
Hong Kong superstar singer and actor William Chan, the NFL’s China ambassador, tweeted about the Super Bowl in the run-up to the match for his more than 21 million followers on Weibo. He did not attend the game though, as had been expected.
Later this year, the league also plans to expand a fantasy football league it is testing called Tian Tian NFL, Young said.

Still, the NFL lags far behind sports such as basketball in China. Industry experts said many of today’s football fans in China are Americans living abroad or foreign-born Chinese.
“There is no existing fan base but for the expats and people who were educated and lived in the United States,” said Marc Ganis, the president of consulting firm Sports Corp Ltd and an adviser to NFL teams, who has worked in China for more than a decade. “That’s an enormous challenge.”
The social media drive may help, though, said Ed Desser, a former NBA television executive who helped popularise American basketball in China.
“You can converse with your friends or people who were complete strangers who happen to be watching the same game,” said Desser, now president of consulting firm Desser Sports Media. “It’s the virtual bar stool.”Reuters


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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates during the post-game ceremony for Super Bowl LI. Photo: TNS

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Confetti falls after the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots defeated the Falcons 34-28. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick celebrate during the post-game ceremony for Super Bowl LI after the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/TNS)

TOPSHOT - Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots defeated the Falcons 34-28 after overtime. / AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY

TOPSHOT - James White #28 of the New England Patriots scores the game winning touchdown in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas / AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY

Falcons’ Super Bowl flop against New England Patriots a new low for Atlanta's sad sporting history

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan walks off the field after losing the Super Bowl. Photo: AFP

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) leaves the field at the end of the game as the Atlanta Falcons meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Patriots beat the Falcons in overtime 34-28. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)

Atlanta Falcons fan CJ Scott hangs his head in his hands at Taco Mac restaurant in Atlanta after watching on television the New England Patriots beat Atlanta in the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game being played in Houston, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. The Patriots won 34-28 in overtime. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the post-game ceremony for Super Bowl LI after the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/TNS)

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: James White #28 of the New England Patriots scores the game winning touchdown in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Heroic Tom Brady leads New England Patriots to thrilling Super Bowl win after record comeback

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Julian Edelman celebrate their Super Bowl 51 win over Atlanta Falcons. Photo: USA Today

New England Patriots' Tom Brady calls for a two-point conversion during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

New England Patriots' Duron Harmon makes a catch over New England Patriots' Kyle Van Noy, during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Tom Brady says Super Bowl game jersey was stolen from New England Patriots locker room

Tom Brady speaks to the media after the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory. Photo: AFP

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