TalkSport To Bring Premier League Football To Chinese Radio For First Time

U.K. radio broadcaster TalkSport has struck a deal to air Premier League matches in China, in "what is thought to be the first time officially sanctioned coverage has been made available on radio in the world's most populous nation," according to Mark Sweney of the London GUARDIAN. TalkSport, which made a £900,000 loss on its fledgling int'l radio operation last year, "reached a deal with Adrep China Advertising Services to develop its Premier League offering in China." The long-term collaboration agreement "has been reached in time for TalkSport to launch a live Mandarin radio service covering the most popular Premier League clashes" beginning in the '13-14 season. The deal, which will also include FA Cup coverage and Capital One Cup football, "will include developing distribution on mobile apps and Chinese social media platforms" (GUARDIAN, 4/16).