Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Steps Down After Layoffs 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
Alphabet’s Massive AI Spending Surge Signals Confidence in Google’s Growth Engine 
Toyota’s Surprise CEO Change Signals Strategic Shift Amid Global Auto Turmoil 
Ford and Geely Explore Strategic Manufacturing Partnership in Europe 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
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
