.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels And Wolfpack Basketball Game To Be Televised In China
February 18, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2011
Chapel Hill - The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University will renew their men's basketball rivalry on February 23rd for the 219th time, but it will mark the first NCAA regular-season game ever to be televised in China.
The game will be broadcast in Shanghai, one of the world's largest cities with more than 16 million residents. Raycom Sports (Charlotte) will produce and broadcast the game in the Atlantic Coast Conference region. R&S Consulting (Staten Island, N.Y.) is the international rights holder that worked with Raycom to clear the broadcast in China.
"It's quite an honor to be first in anything, but it truly is unique for our game to be the first regular season NCAA basketball game to be televised in China," says North Carolina head basketball coach Roy Williams. "I know that the NBA has a large following in China because of (Houston Rockets center) Yao Ming, but this is a great opportunity to showcase our two schools before such a large audience."
"Basketball has definitely has a worldwide following for years, but there is nothing like the excitement of a Tobacco Road matchup," says NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. "I think it's great that the first game to be broadcast there is between two schools with such a rich basketball tradition as NC State and UNC."
Greatsports Media, Shanghai, will take Raycom's video feed but will use Chinese announcers for play-by-play and analysis. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, which is 13 hours behind Beijing Time (10 a.m., February 24 in Shanghai).
"I've seen first hand the enormous popularity of sports in China, especially basketball," says Ron Strauss, UNC's Executive Associate Provost and Chief International Officer. "It's wonderful that the people of Shanghai will have a chance to watch Carolina Basketball live. I hope these broadcasts will lead to more fans for the team and the University as a whole."
"China is the state of North Carolina's second-largest trading partner and Governor Perdue has prioritized increasing those economic ties," says Tom Martineau of the Office for China Initiatives and Special Projectsat UNC's Global Research Institute.
"UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State and 12 other UNC campuses have international partnerships agreements with 44 universities in China, nine of which are in Shanghai. Shanghai is home to large Tar Heel and NC State alumni clubs, a liaison office for the UNC system and a representative office for North Carolina's Department of Commerce."
R&S Consulting sold sponsorship rights for the UNC-NC State broadcast to Longistics that made it possible for the game to be televised in China. Longistics, a Research Triangle Park based company that handles logistics and transportation issues for clients, is opening the SIP International Commodities Exhibition Center later this spring near Shanghai. The Center will generate opportunities that accelerate the export of products from North Carolina and U.S.-based companies to China.