China’s State TV Demotes English Soccer Amid Spat With U.K.
- Match moved from main sports channel to secondary one: source
- China-U.K. ties have been deteriorating over Huawei, Hong Kong
Photographer: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images
China’s state television broadcaster is relegating English Premier League football matches from its main sports channel to one that lures fewer viewers, a sign the lucrative world of professional soccer is being ensnared in the increasingly fraught relations between Beijing and the U.K.
CCTV, which has the rights to broadcast Premier League matches in China, didn’t air a match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC on its main sports channel, CCTV-5, as planned early Thursday morning, said a person familiar with the decision. The match was shifted to CCTV-5+, a high definition channel regarded as the broadcaster’s secondary sports offering, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing internal matters.