The International Canoe Federation is delighted to announce the renewal of a partnership with H&A Media which took live pictures of international canoeing events into millions of Chinese households during the 2019 season.
The partnership will provide ICF with access to Huya.tv, the popular Chinese streaming service watched by millions of sports fans throughout China. During 2019 Chinese viewers enjoyed ICF canoe sprint, slalom, marathon and stand up paddling broadcasts, featuring ICF sanctioned events inside and outside of China.
The deal will mean upcoming ICF canoe slalom world cups in Tacen, Slovenia, and Pau, France, will be streamed live on Huya. A replay of last weekend’s ICF canoe sprint world cup in Szeged, Hungary, is also available.
“Over 30.1 million viewers were attracted to watch the digital broadcast of ICF canoe and kayak events in 2019 aired on the Huya.com /Planet Canoe channel,” Julia Yang Zhenyi, H&A Media account director said.
“H&A Media team are working closely with China Canoeing Association, professional coaches and commentators and Huya.com to create a tailor made broadcast for the market. We are delighted to return to broadcast in China as the sport builds audiences, leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and beyond.”
ICF digital media manager Adam Collins said the partnership with H&A Media has already provided major benefits for the sport of canoeing.
“Last year we tested the water to see how popular canoeing would be with Chinese sport fans, and the results were incredible,” Collins said.
“The China Canoe Association is one of our hardest working federations, has hosted several of our major events, and will host many more in the coming years. Our partnership with H&A Media will build on the work the CCA is doing to grow canoeing throughout China.
“H&A Media understands the Chinese market, has top-level contacts throughout the media industry, and fits into our goal to continue the growth of canoeing internationally. We look forward to another strong year of collaboration.”