BEIJING: Chinese online entertainment platform iQIYI Inc has been awarded exclusive broadcasting rights for the US Open, which now makes it the largest professional golf live streaming and video information platform in the country.
It had earlier acquired similar rights for the sport’s other three Majors – Masters, The Open and PGA Championship.
iQIYI is also well known for covering the PGA Tour, WGC-HSBC World Golf Championship and PGA Tour China.
The US Open coverage will be available on PC/Mac, mobile, tablet and Smart TV versions of the iQIYI app and will contain exclusive Chinese language commentary and analysis from a selection of pro-golfers, coaches, referees and journalists. iQIYIwill also be having a special panel of anchors to conduct interviews in English with players at the tournament, making it in-depth, entertaining and easily accessible for golf fans in the country.
Since its launch in 2012, iQIYI Sports signed multiple broadcasting agreements with sporting properties across tennis, American football, wrestling, extreme sports and more besides golf. At the end of 2017, selected sports tournaments, along with other premium shows and movies, have become a part of the company’s paid content offering, which ensures viewers receive content of the highest quality and maximizes its ability to monetize newly acquired content.
“We are delighted to welcome the US Open to iQIYI Sports’ rapidly growing universe of international sports coverage,” said Geng Danhao, senior vice president of iQIYI.
“International sports organizations are coming to realize the importance of the Chinese market, and with such a high percentage of sport watched online, iQIYI is the ideal platform to connect with a mass Chinese audience. Viewers choose iQIYI because of the breadth of our selection and richness of our user experience. We look forward to providing Chinese sports fans with an increasingly diverse selection of live and on demand sport from all corners of the world.”
