Premier League back on Chinese TV after boycott over Ukraine support
Television coverage of the English Premier League in China resumed on Thursday following a boycott last weekend as the league showed its support for Ukraine.
Chinese rights holder iQiyi pulled their planned live broadcast of last week's games in an apparent protest against the decision to display the Ukraine flag on big screens at stadiums.
China has declined to condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, its ally.
There was no show of solidarity during Thursday’s matches, offering Chinese viewers hope that the £120-million deal to broadcast the Premier League for the next four years in China can be salvaged.
However, Premier League clubs have so far pledged £1 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and may use future match-rounds to show support, which could lead to a further backlash from China and jeopardise the TV deal.
Clubs will be free to continue showing solidarity with Ukraine but there will be no coordinated approach such as a minute's applause or players wearing armbands in the colours of Ukraine’s flag.
China has been a problematic TV market in recent years despite its huge population of 1.4 billion people.
The streaming service PPTV missed two EPL rights payments worth £157 million during the 2019-20 season, which triggered legal action and cancellation of the contract with two seasons left.
Tencent picked up the rights in a one-year deal covering the 2020-21 season before iQiyi Sports secured a four-year contract from 2021-22.
