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The AFL has announced that three Chinese free-to-air broadcasters will show live coverage of Sunday’s Premiership clash between the Gold Coast Suns and Port Adelaide in Shanghai.

Announced today (Friday 12th May), Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the Shanghai TV channel and commercial broadcaster Guangzhou TV will show live coverage of this Sunday’s game.

The AFL had faced the prospect of playing in China without having a broadcast partner in the country, but AFL Chief Financial Officer, Travis Auld, said that the deal could now make the game the most-watched match in AFL history with the three broadcast partners reaching more than 1.4 billion people.

While Sunday’s games will be the first AFL regular-season game outside Australia or New Zealand, it is unlikely that the game will attract large numbers in the sport saturated Chinese broadcast market.

CCTV already shows weekly AFL matches on one of its digital sports channels, but viewing figures for these games have not been revealed.

Nonetheless, Port Adelaide in particular is keen to expand its reach in China.

Shanghai billionaire property developer Gui Guojie already sponsors the club, while Chinese-Australian mining businesswoman Sally Zou of AusGold is also an enthusiastic backer.

Port will also unveil a new sponsor on the weekend, as part of a range of Chinese-linked sponsorship deals that the club says is the result of an ongoing expansion into the Chinese market. 

4th January 2017 - TOP CHINESE ADMINISTRATOR PREDICTS REMARKABLE YEAR FOR CHINESE SPORT

27th October 2016 - AFL 2017 SEASON TO FEATURE COMPETITIVE MATCH IN SHANGHAI

23rd September 2016 - IOC PRESIDENT PROCLAIMS ‘TIME OF ASIA’ AS SPORTS MINISTERS SIGN DECLARATION IN PYEONGCHANG

15th April 2016 - PORT ADELAIDE AND THE AFL SIGN MOU TO PLAY 2017 PREMIERSHIP MATCH IN CHINA

2nd March 2015 - AFL AGREES ASIAN BROADCAST DEAL

21st September 2012 - AFL ACADEMY LAUNCHED IN CHINA

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