(Yicai Global) Oct. 27 -- Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s [HK:0700] Sports.qq.com entered an agreement with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) yesterday and signed a memorandum today for broadcasting rights for the league's upcoming season, SportsMoney reported.

The CBA's 2017-2018 season will start Oct. 28. The regular season will end in February next year, and the playoffs will begin in March.

Chinese video platform iQiyi and Shanghai Synacast Media Tech. Co.'s video website PPTV are negotiating with the CBA.

A new cross-border broadcasting group that lacks strong ties to the CBA is in the final stages of signing a contract for rights, but details about the deal are sparse and its name has not been reported.

The CBA, China's top professional basketball league, confirmed that 19 Chinese television stations will also air its games.