China Sports Media Grabs Broadcast Rights After AFC Drops LeSports

The Asian Football Confederation handed the Chinese broadcast rights for its competitions to China Sports Media, it said on Tuesday, a day after it was reported "the AFC had torn up its agreement with LeSports after it failed to pay" an installment, according to Peter Rutherford of REUTERS. The AFC said in a statement that CSM would take over the rights for the rest of the '17-20 commercial cycle after being left with "no alternative but to terminate its contract with Le TV." The AFC signed the previous deal, worth more than $100M, in '15. With Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG hosting A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers in the group stage of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday, "there were concerns the contract issue could affect broadcast coverage." However, the AFC said that the agreement with CSM meant there would be "uninterrupted coverage of this week’s Asian Champions League fixtures in China" (REUTERS, 2/28).