China Reportedly Drops 76ers Broadcasts Because of Daryl Morey

The Philadelphia 76ers may have gotten a lot more than they bargained for when they hired former Houston Rockets general manager, Daryl Morey. In October of 2019, Morey created international controversy when he voiced support for protestors in Hong Kong. “Fight for Freedom, stand with Hong Kong” was Morey’s message backing the protestors in a complex dispute with the mainland Chinese government. The protests were ostensibly about a proposed extradition law, but much more about recent extensions of the mainland government’s power in Hong Kong and the way that power is wielded.

The NBA and China have a very lucrative financial partnership. The league has previously been the target of criticism for not standing up to the Chinese government over issues related to freedom of speech, censorship and human rights violations. The Chinese government has been quick to leverage their massive influence with the league as well. Morey’s tweet allegedly ended up costing the Rockets over $20 million in revenue after the Rockets were not shown on any Chinese NBA broadcasts during the 2019-2020 season.

Via Straight Times:

Tencent has been offering text updates only for Sixers games as well as those involving the Houston Rockets, Morey’s former employer. It also refused to screen Rockets games last season.

State broadcaster CCTV, which holds China’s exclusive TV rights for the NBA, has not aired any games since the season opened on Dec 22.

Tencent’s refusal to stream Sixers and Rockets games, and CCTV’s continued black-out, extends a year-long stand-off in the NBA’s biggest international market that has cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.

On #Tencent Sports, which streams NBA games in China, matchups featuring the @sixers and @HoustonRockets — Daryl Morey’s current and former teams — are the lone exceptions to what is otherwise a complete slate of broadcasts.

By me and @viduvisual: https://t.co/oHvkWy4Ggn

— David Paulk (@davidpaulk) December 24, 2020

Daryl Morey was  recently fined $50,000 for a tweet congratulating James Harden after joining the Philadelphia 76ers.

Might it be time he gives his Twitter fingers a rest?

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