(Yicai) Sept. 1 -- The German Cup match of Fan Zhendong, a Chinese table tennis player representing Germany's Borussia Düsseldorf, generated more than CNY1.1 million (USD163,685) in box office revenue during a livestream across multiple cinemas in China.

The average attendance at the over 80 theaters showing Fan's German Cup match live on Aug. 29 was nearly 80 percent, according to figures released by data app Dengta Professional Edition. The event's million-yuan box office highlights the drawing power of a single athlete in China, as well as shifts in cinema business models and viewers' sports consumption habits.

The event marked the first German Cup table tennis match shown in Chinese cinemas. Youku Sports authorized the broadcast, while Huaxia Film Distribution managed it, with audience enthusiasm far exceeding expectations.

Fan matches from the Bundesliga, one of Europe's most competitive professional table tennis leagues, will also be available in cinemas on Sept. 5. The list of theaters set to livestream the competition is already available, with some nearly sold out.

Fan entered the Bundesliga after joining Saarbrücken in June last year. Zhang Zheng, general manager of Youku Sports, said that because the video platform was optimistic about the project, it acquired the broadcasting rights to the league and the German Cup for the 2025-26 season two months later.

The cinema broadcast model must be built on a strong foundation of mass awareness, with only a few sports intellectual properties in China that can drive box office, Zhang stressed. Events like the US' National Basketball League, the Olympics, and the FIFA World Cup mainly attract audiences during semifinals and finals, Zhang pointed out.

Fan has a large fan base in China, so he has such drawing power, while the Bundesliga is one of the events that generates viewers' interest, Zhang noted. For the 2026-27 season, Youku Sports upgraded to exclusive rights for the league, with the fees within a reasonable range, Zhang added.

Youku Sports' layout for German table tennis events has always been centered on fans' demand, Zhang told Yicai. In June, the platform reached an exclusive official viewing partnership with Düsseldorf to launch overseas viewing tours in partnership with travel platforms, Zhang said, adding that a complete chain from online viewing and merchandise to traveling abroad for matches is taking shape.

Editor: Martin Kadiev