NetEase Betting Asian Games: The logic behind the puzzle

Only 10 days after the closure of the Beijing Olympics, NetEase announced on September 3 that it was the Internet content and website service sponsor of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. But what does it mean for a portal to sponsor sporting events?

In fact, under the new economic business model of the Internet, the Internet sponsors of sporting events are not necessarily the ultimate winners of this war. Compared with Sohu, the Olympic Games ' Internet sponsor, the three portals Sina, NetEase and Tencent, although not official sponsors of the Olympics, have made good achievements and each announced their "sweeping victory" in the Olympic reports.

A well-known domestic IT consulting agency analysts believe that, due to the characteristics of Internet business model, the Internet sponsors of sports events in the monopoly of their resources and exclusivity, often means weak.

However, in the face of the 2010 at home in Guangzhou, the Asian Games, netease or push themselves to the front desk.

"NetEase sponsored the Asian Games more reflect, its anxious to enhance the Web site content brand influence, thereby driving the network advertising business of the urgent mentality." "The analyst to the reporter analysis, from the second quarter of this year's earnings, compared with Sina, Sohu and Tencent, NetEase in the second quarter of 104 million yuan of advertising service income still ranked after-this seems to prove that the troubled netease for many years," the Portal puzzle "still to be solved.

　Betting on the Asian Games

"We are not even to see NetEase as a comprehensive portal, but as a game company to study." "According to NetEase's second-quarter earnings, online gaming services amounted to 595 million yuan and accounted for 83% of the total revenue," the analyst said.

This and Ding Lei stressed the game, the portal "two legs" strategy is obviously a contradiction. For the portal, Ding Lei believes that compared to the game, "the portal to the user's greater influence." "But how to enhance the impact of the portal, and thus effectively translated into advertising revenue, has been plagued by the problems of NetEase for many years."

"This is a time when the speed of transmission and copying is very fast, there is no regional and no national boundaries." In Ding Lei's view, in the Portal content and form competition space is limited, enhance the brand influence appears more important.

Just like Sohu sponsored the Olympic Games, Tencent sponsored the Expo, this time NetEase put Bao in the Asian Games.

According to the reporter understand, in the four major portals, three have participated in the Guangzhou Asian Games sponsors bid, finally NetEase in April this year won the Internet exclusive sponsor, and signed an agreement with the Asian Games Organizing Committee.

For NetEase's sponsorship fee, Ding Lei is unwilling to disclose specific figures, only to reporters that "at least tens above." There is speculation in the industry, NetEase won the 2010 Asian Games sponsors, and the company is located in Guangzhou, "Close water tower" the advantages are not unrelated.

According to the reporter understands, because is located in the news resource does not occupy the superior South China, the NetEase website department has long been divided between Beijing, Guangzhou two places separate operation; compared to the report of the Beijing Olympic Games "remote control", NetEase at home to report the Asian Games obviously more advantages.

In addition to the Web portal, for two years after the 3G wireless network environment, NetEase also mobile internet in advance layout. NetEase Vice President, Web Department editor-in-chief Li Yu revealed that at present inside the website department is brewing a "for mobile internet content Group", "2009 will be launched, to the Asian Games will certainly be a large number of applications." ”

Obviously, NetEase hope that the Asian Games can effectively enhance the impact of the portal, so as to make up for network advertising short board, but in how to reasonably use the status of the sponsor, to circumvent the competition of rivals, but still seems inadequate.

Ding Lei admits, at present NetEase only can use the Asian Games Network sponsor identity, use for the company's market promotion. And for NetEase will have the Asian Games report in the exclusive, exclusive rights and interests, Ding Lei said: "More details of the provisions, has not made provisions, is still not disclosed." ”

One of the well-known domestic IT consulting institutions, analysts believe that from the process of sponsorship of the Olympic Games, non-sponsors can buy video rights and the game scores data system, design people interviews and other forms of participation in sports events, "from the participation in the event report itself, sponsors do not have much obvious advantages." ”

Ding lei does not seem to have found an effective way, he only said: "For the Asian Games report, I hope more sites to participate in." ”

In addition, it is noteworthy that in 2010 there was another very high level of interest in sports events South Africa World Cup and the same year held in Shanghai Expo. How to ensure the attention of "eyeball economy" will also be the key to the success or failure of NetEase's "Asian Games strategy" in the next two years.