Oct 9, 2020
NBA Finals Game 5 to air in China
For the first time in over a year, an NBA game will be seen on television in China. Chinese state television, CCTV, announced on Friday that Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will air live.
TSN.ca Staff
For the first time in over a year, an NBA game will be seen on television in China.
Chinese state television, CCTV, announced on Friday that Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will air live.
It will mark the first live NBA broadcast in the country since Oct. 4, 2019 when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of democracy protests in Hong Kong. Since then, the league has not been seen live in China.
China's national broadcaster CCTV announced today that it will show Game 5 of the NBA Finals after a season-long ban on showing NBA games ... citing the league's assistance to China in fighting COVID-19 for lifting the ban
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 9, 2020
CCTV cited the league's assistance to China in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as the reason for the lifting of the ban.
"During the recent Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the NBA sent their well wishes to fans in China," CCTV said in a statement. "We also took note of the league has been continuously delivering goodwill [to China], particularly making positive contributions to Chinese people's fight against COVID-19 pandemic."
In February, NBA commissioner Adam Silver noted that the league faced losses in the $300 million-range with games not available on Chinese television.