China Ends Year-Long NBA TV Boycott to Air Finals Game 5 on Friday
China’s CCTV has ended its year-long boycott of the NBA, announcing that it will carry tonight’s NBA Finals game. Chinese state television had effectively banned the league from its airwaves (though some games were still available on the Chinese streaming service Tencet) as a repercussion for the league refusing to punish Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey over his tweeting of support of Hong Kong protestors last fall. But in a statement Friday, CCTV commended the league’s help with the coronavirus pandemic in the country. “During the recent Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the NBA sent their well wishes to fans in China,” CCTV said in a statement (via ESPN). “We also took note of the league has been continuously delivering goodwill [to China], particularly making positive contributions to Chinese people’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic.” Also Read: NBA Finals Sets Record Low TV Audience With Game 1 Friday’s decision by CCTV ends a year-long stalemate between the NBA and China, among the league’s most prominent international partners. The relationship between the two had been frosty ever since Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong protestors who were staging months of demonstrations regarding a new extradition law from mainland...
Read original story China Ends Year-Long NBA TV Boycott to Air Finals Game 5 on Friday At TheWrap
