NBA Officially Forms Chinese Subsidiary, Taps Chen CEO
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NBA Taps Chen To
Lead China Entity |
The NBA has named Tim Chen, CEO of Microsoft Greater China, to lead the league's nascent NBA China entity. The NBA created its NBA China spin off in the spring, and the league is expected to attract private investment to grow the NBA brand in Asia, possibly with its own league. Chen will become CEO of NBA China on October 15. NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a prepared statement: "Tim Chen is a proven business leader who has guided the dramatic growth of two Fortune 100 businesses in China. Tim is the ideal person to lead NBA China as we expand our infrastructure and operations to meet the growing interest from fans and consumers throughout the region." Prior to Microsoft, Chen was Chair & President for Motorola in China from '01-03. He will be based in Beijing (John Lombardo, SportsBusiness Journal) In N.Y., Keith Bradsher writes the NBA's challenge in China "has been to win government agencies' approval for arena construction and to persuade television stations owned by local and provincial governments to join national broadcasters who already carry NBA games." Similarly, Microsoft's "big task has been to persuade China's ... governments to crack down on pirated software and intellectual property rights." Stern said of the decision to hire Chen, "It wasn't just about intellectual property; it was his experience in navigating difficult governmental and business issues." NBA President of Global Marketing Partnerships & Int'l Business Operations Heidi Ueberroth, who led the recruiting process for Chen, said, "His technical background we think is a great fit in our new media and digital area." Stern added the league will own 90% of NBA China while selling a 5% stake to a U.S. media company, believed to be Disney, and another 5% to Chinese investors. Stern indicated that he would "probably identify the other investors during a trip to Shanghai in mid-October for an NBA preseason game" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/19). Ueberroth indicated that the NBA "placed a higher premium on [Chen's] expertise in dealing with the Chinese government and fluency in Chinese and American culture" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/19).
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