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For Immediate Release
Hong Kong, August 1, 2001 - TOM.COM LIMITED ('TOM.COM' or 'TOM', stock code: 8001) announced today that its subsidiary, YCP Advertising ('YC Advertising'), and partner Starway Sport and Culture Development Co. Ltd ('Starway') have received confirmation from the China National Sports Bureau of their securing the commercial rights for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) League A games. The franchise will be for three CBA seasons from 2001 to 2003. Terms under the franchise are being finalised. YC Advertising and Starway will operate and market the CBA League in an effort to commercialise China's basketball development.
YC Advertising and Starway will together commit around US$5 million a year for the franchise and its promotion. Backed by TOM's cross-media platform, YC Advertising will apply its 10-year sports marketing experience gained in China's sports market in the CBA promotion, complemented by Starway's expertise and specialisation in the basketball field. This consortium of partners are confident of elevating CBA's international status and generating an attractive return on investment.
The CBA exclusive commercial rights granted to TOM include rights to title sponsorship, advertising, TV broadcasting, official sponsorship, usage of the League logo and images of famous players. In addition, the franchise also covers the marketing rights of the official website, promotional activities of the club officials and team players, official fan club and league merchandise marketer rights. These different rights will enable sponsors to fully utilise promotional opportunities offered by CBA.
TOM.COM Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Sing Wang said, "This is a very good opportunity for YC Advertising to prove its leadership in sports marketing. YC Advertising has an extensive promotional network and strong sports marketing experience. The partnership with Starway represents one of the best teams to promote the CBA franchise. TOM is dedicated to playing a key role in China's sports development and our unique cross-media platform will help to cement our leading position in the sports marketing sector."
Li Guangsheng, General Manager of YC Advertising, was excited about this partnership and said, "YC Advertising has already established a leading position in the Mainland sports industry through the owning of commercial rights to the National Table Tennis Tournament, National Volleyball League, National Bowling Championship and Inter-College Soccer League. We are committed to a long-term partnership with the CBA and to elevating Chinese basketball to the next level."
Xia Song, Director and General Manager of Starway, said, "CBA has achieved a lot in just 6 years, positioned to become one of the top three international basketball leagues and the No. 1 league in Asia. Through exchanges with the NBA, the CBA has made significant progress and we will build on this foundation to further elevate the league. The comprehensive promotional plan we are working on will help the Chinese basketball industry to scale new heights and foster the next generation of basketball superstars like Wang Zhizhi."
CBA is very popular in China. With over 170 games held in over 10 cities across the country, the audience attendance of the games averages over 86%. Total TV viewership for the CBA on CCTV was around 450 million, with an average audience reach of 1.1%, higher than the 0.7% average audience reach of the Football League for the same season. Statistics from the 2000-01 season show that the CBA enjoy extensive coverage in both electronic and print media. Last season, CCTV broadcast live 34 CBA matches nationwide and 20 tape-recorded matches.
For press enquiries,
Rachel Chan, TOM.COM LIMITED
Tel: (852) 2121 7810; Fax: (852) 2127 7576; e-mail: rachelc@hk.tom.com
Notes to Editors
About TOM.COM LIMITED
TOM.COM LIMITED (TOM) was founded in October 1999. TOM is a joint venture between Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. and other strategic investors. TOM was listed on the Growth Enterprise Market of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in March 2000 (stock code: 8001). TOM's head office is in Hong Kong, with regional offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming.
TOM has pioneered the cross media strategy, building a portfolio of online and offline media assets through acquisitions and organic growth. TOM's business now includes outdoor media advertising, Kunming Fench Star Information Industry Ltd. (Fench Star) and Shanghai Maya Cultural Transmission Company Ltd. (Shanghai Maya Cultural); sports event management and advertising, YC Companies; print media, Yazhou Zhoukan, PC Home Publishing Group and 
About YCP Advertising Co. Ltd
YCP Advertising ('YC Advertising) was founded by Guangdong Yang Cheng Evening Post. In August 2000, TOM acquired a 70% equity interest in YC Advertising, transforming YC Advertising to TOM's flagship in China's sports industry. As an independent sports event management and cross media advertising company in Mainland China, YC Advertising has built a strong network of over 600 print media and 300 TV/radio companies in over 200 cities. As well as organising sports events, the company provides PR and promotion services, produces TV advertisements, participates in TV sports programme production and builds brands and corporate image for corporations in China. YC Advertising is positioned to be the No. 1 sport events marketing company in China.
The company has organised or participated numerous sports events, including the Philips Inter-College Soccer League (2000-2005), Bu Bu Gao National Volleyball League (2001-2004) and Ericsson National Table Tennis Competition (1997-1999). "Sports Report", its TV sports programme records an average viewership of 50 million.
About Starway Sports and Culture Development Co. Ltd
Starway Sports and Culture Development Co. Ltd ('Starway') is the leading marketing company in the Chinese basketball industry. The company has established close working relations with government organisations at various levels, news agencies and media organisations. It has a close working relationship with many Chinese basketball players and the League A basketball teams. Xia Song, the Director and General Manager of the company, is the agent of famous basketball star Wang Zhi Zhi. He facilitated Wang's joining the NBA's Dallas Mavericks Team. Starway has rich experience in sports event planning, agency business and marketing promotion. With its professional expertise and extensive business network, it provides clients with a wide range of sports development services. Starway is actively seeking substantial business partners to raise the operational standards of the Chinese sports industry.
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