WNBL announces Chinese broadcast partnership with YIDA

The Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) announced on Wednesday a new broadcast partnership with Chinese media partner YIDA ONEPATH LIMITED (香港一达), bringing every game of the 2026-27 season to basketball fans across China.

Through the partnership, games will be broadcast across four major Chinese digital platforms: Douyin (抖音), RedNote (小红书), Kuaishou (快手) and WeChat Channels (微信视频号), significantly expanding the League’s reach into one of the world’s largest basketball markets.

WNBL Chief Operating Officer Justin Nelson said the partnership represented a significant step in the League’s international growth strategy.

“This partnership is an important step in growing the WNBL’s international audience,” Nelson said.

“As a global game, basketball provides an opportunity to connect fans across borders, and broadcasting every game into China allows us to build on that opportunity and introduce the League to a broader audience.

“We want to build stronger connections with basketball fans across Asia and give more people the opportunity to follow the WNBL.

“This partnership is an important step towards that, with China providing a platform to grow our audience and explore opportunities in other markets across the region.”

The partnership comes as the WNBL continues to strengthen its connection with basketball fans across Asia, with the number of Chinese national team players competing in the League increasing from one to four in just 12 months.

The four players, Han Xu and Zhang Wanglai of Geelong Venom, Wang Siyu of Southside Melbourne Flyers and Yang Shuyu of Sydney Flames, bring significant international experience and strong followings in China, creating new opportunities for the WNBL and its clubs to connect with international audiences.

Han’s previous stint with the Perth Lynx helped further develop her game ahead of her return to the WNBA.

Her time in Perth also coincided with significant membership growth for the club, highlighting the potential for international stars to drive fan engagement and attract new audiences.

“The new WNBL season will feature four Chinese players competing across the League,” Gong Fan, COO of YIDA ONEPATH LIMITED, said.

“Wang Siyu has joined the Southside Melbourne Flyers, Han Xu and Zhang Wanglai have signed with the Geelong Venom, while Chinese women’s national team captain Yang Shuyu has made a high-profile move to the Sydney Flames.

“The growing number of Chinese players choosing to compete in the WNBL reflects the League’s increasing profile in China, as well as the high standard and competitiveness of Australian women’s basketball.

“Through Best Sports (a sports media brand under Yida), we will bring high-quality live coverage of the WNBL to basketball fans in China via Douyin and RedNote.

“At the same time, we will work closely with our platform partners to explore more innovative and interactive opportunities around live broadcasts, creating a richer viewing experience and bringing fans closer to the League and its players.

“Through this continued partnership, we hope to further strengthen the connection between basketball communities in China and Australia.

“More importantly, we hope basketball can serve as a bridge between the two countries, creating new opportunities for sporting exchange and new points of connection between Chinese and Australian cultures.”

The partnership between the WNBL and Yida was brokered by Sportradar, a leading global sports technology company supporting the WNBL’s international broadcast expansion and connecting the League with audiences worldwide.

Sportradar’s partnership with the WNBL began in 2025, supporting multiple areas of the League, including data capture, OTT, audiovisual distribution and international media rights.