AEG and NBA China Partner Up

AEG, a company that primarily markets entertainment events and operates sport facilities, and NBA China, have formed a joint venture to design, market, program and operate multi-purpose, NBA-style sports and entertainment arenas in major cities throughout Greater China. 

The new joint venture will work with government bodies and agencies and local developers to oversee the design and development of arenas and entertainment districts, similar to the US. The partnership will manage booking and marketing of a wide variety of events including basketball and other sports events, concerts,  and various live entertainment performances. The new organization will be equally owned and will oversee all decisions for each development including identifying target cities and project sites, arena design and development, procurement of naming rights and other sponsorships, securing an arena anchor tenant and the hiring of key personnel.

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns, controls or is affiliated with a collection of companies including over 90 facilities worldwide such as STAPLES Center, NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, Prudential Center (Newark, NJ), NOKIA Theatre Times Square, NOKIA Theatre at Grand Prairie, the El Rey Theatre (Hollywood, CA), WaMu Theatre (Seattle, WA), the Rose Garden (Portland, OR), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena Acer Arena (Sydney, Australia), Color Line Arena (Hamburg, Germany), sports franchises throughout the world including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL) and two MLS franchises in addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). AEG's live entertainment division, AEG LIVE is a concert promotion and touring companies with fifteen regional offices that has recently promoted national tours on behalf of artists such as Prince, Usher, Kenny Chesney, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Hannah Montana and American Idol.

The NBA’s entity that conducts all of the league’s businesses in greater China was formed in January 2008.The NBA opened its Hong Kong office in 1992 and currently employs 100 people in four offices in greater China. NBA.com/China has become the most popular sports Web site in China and “more than 500 unique NBA products are available in China at the two new NBA Stores in Beijing, Wal-Mart, Carrefour, adidas stores and many other retail locations. NBA China Games 2008 will return to China for the third year and play two games in Beijing and Guangzhou. The NBA became the first American sports league to stage games in China in 2004 and returned in 2007.