Nvidia’s $100 Billion OpenAI Investment Faces Internal Doubts, Report Says 
India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
Using the Economic Calendar to Reduce Surprise Driven Losses in Forex 
Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate 
Pentagon and Anthropic Clash Over AI Safeguards in National Security Use 
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair 
Panama Supreme Court Voids Hong Kong Firm’s Panama Canal Port Contracts Over Constitutional Violations 
Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
Panama Supreme Court Voids CK Hutchison Port Concessions, Raising Geopolitical and Trade Concerns 
UK Employers Plan Moderate Pay Rises as Inflation Pressures Ease but Persist 
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Explores Merger Options With Tesla or xAI, Reports Say 
South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges 
CSPC Pharma and AstraZeneca Forge Multibillion-Dollar Partnership to Develop Long-Acting Peptide Drugs 
China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook 
Chinalco and Rio Tinto Acquire Controlling Stake in Brazil’s CBA for $903 Million 
NBA and Ant Group have signed a strategic partnership deal for digital collectibles and joint marketing promotions, and other businesses in China. The Chinese fintech firm said that together with the National Basketball Association, it would work on various projects such as broadcasting, video content, and membership.
As per Fox Business, NBA and Ant Group confirmed their deal on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Through this collaboration, fans of the basketball league in China will easily gain access to NBA video content through the ant Group's online payment app, Alipay.
It was last week when the Chinese unit of the NBA launched a channel on Alipay that show user-generated content from the basketball league's network of influencers, including Alipay's authorized content creators.
It was said that NBA is a popular cultural export to China. In fact, the presence of the league in the Chinese market reportedly brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Then again, it was noted that the NBA's longtime business cooperation with CCTV, the local state broadcaster TV network, was strained after Daryl Morey, a former Houston Rockets general manager, expressed his support for anti-government protestors in Hong Kong in 2019.
Today, Morey moved to Philadephia 76ers as general manager, and what caused the strained relationship was his Twitter post on October 2019 that simply reads, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."
He may have deleted the post later and apologized by saying it was not his intention to offend the Chinese Rockets fans or the citizens of China. But as they say, the damage has been done and the NBA games were pulled from CCTV after he was criticized by the government as well.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that NBA and Ant Group's collaboration deal is already in effect, and Chinese basketball fans may now enjoy the games and other content related to it again. Fans can also expect to see NFTs or digital collectibles through this new deal.
Photo by: Kenny Eliason/Unsplash
