[September 14, 2004] NBA.com And SOHU.com Expand Relationship New Agreement Includes Continued Development of NBA.com/china, Launch of Wireless Features and Comprehensive Coverage of Historic NBA China Games BEIJING, Sept. 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NBA.com, the official website of the National Basketball Association, and SOHU.com Inc. , China's leading online media, communications, commerce and mobile value-added services company, announced today they have renewed their two-year relationship to continue to jointly develop the NBA's comprehensive Chinese destination, NBA.com/china and unveil new wireless NBA licensed products and services to the Chinese market. SOHU will also work with the NBA to produce the official NBA.com/china section for the first-ever NBA China Games featuring preseason games between the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings on October 14, 2004 in Shanghai and October 17, 2004 in Beijing. As a part of the NBA.com Network of more than 60 sites, NBA.com/china will continue to provide millions of NBA fans across China with extensive NBA coverage year-round, further enhanced by additional video content and new interactive sections. SOHU will continue to host, publish and promote the site in China. The NBA and SOHU's new wireless content service will provide NBA logos, photos, scores and other news updates, as well as individual player statistics for delivery to Chinese mobile phone users. ''We are very pleased to prolong our cooperation with NBA.com and extend it from a pure online into a combined online and wireless relationship, which is in line with our long-term strategic vision," said Charles Zhang, Chairman and CEO of SOHU. ''We are keen to engage in strategic content partnerships that build on the synergy between online and wireless consumer businesses in China as we expect these to increasingly morph in the coming years. And with 80 million Internet users online and 300 million mobile phone subscribers, exclusive and branded content providers have a can't-miss opportunity to reach Chinese consumers and become part of their daily lifestyle of always-on connectivity.'' ''The expansion of our relationship with SOHU fits in perfectly with the NBA's long-term strategy of growth via global expansion and through technological innovation,'' said Michael B. Denzel, Vice President and Managing Director, NBA Asia, Limited. ''The enhancements we jointly plan with SOHU to make to NBA.com/china, and particularly the addition of wireless offerings, will continue to attract a growing base of fans in China.'' "Now that the sports world's attention has turned to China after the closing of the recent 2004 Athens Olympics in anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, SOHU is keen to team up with established sports entities that help make our portal the first sports destination of choice,'' said Victor Koo, President and COO of SOHU. ''In the past two years we have engaged in a series of partnerships covering an ever wider range of sports, including soccer, basketball, tennis and auto racing. We aim to become the dominant online and wireless sports destination in China." "SOHU has been one of our most important NBA partners over the past two years as they have very effectively facilitated the communication of NBA news and imagery to our millions of NBA fans across China via the internet,'' said Mark Fischer, Managing Director - China, NBA Asia, Limited. "We are delighted to have expanded our partnership with such a leading and innovative internet and wireless player in this key market.'' NBA.com/china features all the latest NBA news, feature stories, photos, video and audio clips, real-time scores, play-by-play updates, boxscores, standings, and statistics. Chinese fans can also use the site to access the latest information on NBA players and NBA history, as well as selected post- game press conferences and player chats. The site furthermore includes special pages and coverage of NBA events such as the NBA China Games 2004, NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs, The Finals, NBA Draft, and various other NBA grassroots programs and promotions taking place in China throughout the year. Basketball is the most popular sports in China and played in virtually every school around the country. The strong performance at the Olympics of the Chinese men's team, which reached the quarter finals, and tremendous popular appeal of NBA player Yao Ming, have added extra appeal to the game in the world's biggest potential market. According to China's Ministry of Sports, there are already more than 250 million basketball players at one level or another in China, and the NBA's popularity and television viewership continues to grow. The NBA's and SOHU's youthful core audiences correlate very well. In China's major cities, surveys show that in the 15-24 age group, 75% of males and 57% of all consumers 15-24 consider themselves to be NBA fans. Meanwhile, 97% of all consumers in China are aware of the NBA, and tens of millions watch NBA games on CCTV and a dozen other regional broadcasters across China every week during the NBA season. About the NBA China Games 2004 The NBA China Games 2004 is organized in conjunction with the respective Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sport and Shanghai Administration of Sports. Since joining the league in 2002, the NBA China Games will be the first time Yao Ming returns to his native country with his NBA team, the Houston Rockets. The two games are an extension of the league's long-standing relationship with China that dates back to 1978-79, when the NBA champion Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) traveled to China to play two exhibition games against the Chinese National team. About SOHU SOHU.COM is China's premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese who use the portal network for their news, search, e-mail, wireless messaging, instant messaging, browsing, games and shopping. SOHU has built one of the most comprehensive matrix of web properties in China, consisting of the mass portal and leading online media destination http://www.sohu.com/; the #1 online alumni club http://www.chinaren.com/; #1 games portal http://www.17173.com/; top real estate website http://www.focus.cn/ and wireless value- added services provider http://www.goodfeel.com.cn/ . This network of web properties offers the vast SOHU user community the broadest possible choices regarding information, entertainment, communication and commerce. SOHU.COM, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China's Internet pioneers, is in its eighth year of operation. About the NBA Since its founding in 1946, the NBA has truly become a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries. With 30 teams in the United States and Canada, NBA games and related programming are broadcast to 212 countries in 42 languages; they are one of the largest suppliers of sports television and Internet programming in the world. The NBA is a recognized leader in global sports marketing with 13 offices around the world. For more information on the NBA, visit NBA.com/china or NBA.com. Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, SOHU's historical and possible future losses, limited operating history, uncertain regulatory landscape in the People's Republic of China, fluctuations in quarterly operating results, and the company's reliance on online advertising sales, wireless services (most of which are collected from a few mobile telecom operators) and e-commerce for its revenues. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in SOHU's Annual Report on Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For further information: Caroline Straathof SOHU Investor Relations and Communications Tel: +86 10 6510 1379 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.sohu.com/about/English/ Cheong Sau Ching Senior Director, Public Relations NBA Asia Limited Tel: +852 2843 9668 E-mail: [email protected] SOHU.COM Inc. CONTACT: Caroline Straathof, SOHU Investor Relations and Communications,+86-10-6510-1379, [email protected]; Cheong Sau Ching, Senior Director, PublicRelations of NBA Asia Limited, +852 2843 9668, [email protected] Web site: http://www.sohu.com/about/English [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]