Newly renamed chinadotcom corp. has signed an agreement to jointly develop a pan-Asian interactive sports service with Agence France Presse (AFP).
The service, AsiaSport.com, will provide Internet users with current sports news and interviews with sports figures throughout Asia. chinadotcom corp. (CHINA) will be responsible for Web site design, sales and marketing, and online advertising for this new service while AFP will be responsible for the organization, production and news content.
The MOU also includes as well as other Web sites devoted to sports news and information. This provisional agreement covers all of Asia, including China and India. Initially, the service will be available in English and Chinese with other Asian languages to be added later.
chinadotcom CEO Peter Yip said that the firm aims to provide sport delivered in an exciting, timely, and targeted way, making it accessible to the different markets across Asia by developing local language versions. The partnership, said Yip, would provide Internet users in Asia with an opportunity to actively follow their favorite teams and stars, and served as the firms response to market demand for additional content reflecting Asian lifestyles and interests.
Yip added that the scheme is helps further reinforce chinadotcoms “Build, Distribute, Sell” business strategy to build sites, sell advertising on and for the sites and distribute them through the firms Greater China portal network: china.com, cww.com, hongkong.com, and taiwan.com.
chinadotcom also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a 2-for-1 stock split. Under the terms of the split, investors on record on December 6, 1999 will receive one additional share for every share they currently hold. The distribution date for the new shares will be December 13, 1999.
The company has also just revealed a new branding strategy, changing its name from China.com Corp. to chinadotcom corporation and adopting a more Asian-styled logo.