The Pac-12 Conference and Pac-12 Networks are teaming with Chinese interactive video platform LeTV to live stream Pac-12 men’s basketball games in the world's most populous country this season.
The new deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, makes LeTV the exclusive Chinese distributor of 27 games, including the entire Pac-12 Tournament. Through the pact, LeTV users can live-stream Pac-12 basketball on PCs, tablets, mobile devices, as well as LeTV Super TV (OTT) devices. As such, the Pac-12 is the only conference to stream basketball games in China this season and the 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament will be the first conference tournament streamed in its entirety before a Chinese audience.
In addition to the live game streaming, LeTV, which has rights to 100,000 television episodes, 5,000 movies, and sports partnerships with FIFA, the PGA, NBA, NFL and MLB, will offer all users on its platform access to a weekly package of Pac-12 basketball coverage and other programming on-demand. LeTV’s website also includes a Pac-12 microsite that features Pac-12 basketball news throughout the current campaign.
The streaming partnership is an outgrowth of the Pac-12 Globalization Initiative, aimed at showcasing the conference and its member schools in China via student-athlete exchanges and sport. Since the program tipped off in 2011, Pac 12 has sent men and women’s basketball teams, two women’s all-star volleyball teams, and a men's basketball all-star team to China for competitive exhibitions. Come November, the Pac-12 will stage a regular season men’s basketball game in China between the University of Washington and the University of Texas, becoming the first major U.S. sports entity, collegiate or professional, to host a regular season contest in China.
“We are thrilled to showcase the excitement of Pac-12 basketball and our esteemed universities to a new audience across China through LeTV,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “For the first time ever, the basketball-savvy Chinese audience will see our talented student-athletes compete at the highest level of basketball and learn more about our member universities.”
The 27 games available to LeTV audiences are being televised on Pac-12 Networks and ESPN in the U.S. and feature all 12 Pac-12 universities at least three times, including sixth-ranked Arizona and No. 13 Utah.
Remaining Schedule of Pac-12 men’s basketball games to be streamed by LeTV:
UCLA at CALIFORNIA Sat., Feb. 7, 5:00 p.m.
UTAH at COLORADO Sat., Feb. 7, 7:00 p.m.
OREGON STATE at UCLA Wed., Feb. 11, 7:00 p.m.
STANFORD at UTAH Thur., Feb. 12, 6:00 p.m.
USC at ARIZONA Thurs., Feb. 19, 6:00 p.m.
CALIFORNIA at STANFORD Sat., Feb. 21, 3:30 p.m.
USC at ARIZONA STATE Sun., Feb. 22, 5:30 p.m.
WASHINGTON STATE at USC Wed., Feb. 25, 7:00 p.m.
OREGON STATE at STANFORD Thurs., Feb. 26, 8:00 p.m.
WASHINGTON at USC Sat., Feb. 28, 7:00 p.m.
Pac-12 Tournament - First Round Wed., Mar. 11, all day
Pac-12 Tournament – Quarterfinals Thurs., Mar. 12, all day
Pac-12 Tournament – Semifinals Fri., Mar. 13, 6:00 p.m.
Pac-12 Tournament – Final Sat., Mar. 14, 8:00 p.m.
