NBA Entertainment is assisting China Central TV (CCTV)
to produce two 45-minute documentaries about the league,
which will be broadcast this summer in China on CCTV,
according to John Smallwood of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS.
CCTV, a government-owned station that reaches 210 million
homes, has televised NBA games since '86, but CCTV Producer
Ren Jiang Zhou "wanted to present an inside look at the
workings of the NBA to the Chinese fans." The first
documentary, "The Making of a Successful NBA Franchise,"
will "focus on team organizational structure, operations and
local marketing efforts." The second, "Life of an NBA
Player," will be about "game preparation, practices,
players' life during home and away games and off-court
community activities." NBA Entertainment Int'l Programming
Assistant Simon Chan says that "overall," soccer is the most
popular sport in China, but basketball "is No. 1" among
those 17-24: "They know who Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson
are. They want to know more about the players and the
teams." 76ers President Pat Croce, who was interviewed by
CCTV for the documentaries: "I love when somebody pays
enough attention to us to want to do something in America,
let alone China" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 4/15).
