The Digital Dragon

The backdrop to PremierGoals’ decision to promote football in China is the country’s explosive growth in Internet use

Our team has already experienced success in China. Two years ago, we transformed the Chinese internet company 3721.com into the eighth most visited website in the world and subsequently sold it to Yahoo.

Broadly speaking, information and communication technology – including the Internet, email, instant messaging, web logs, bulletin boards, podcasts, peer-to-peer applications, streaming audio and video, mobile telephones, SMS text messages, MMS photo-sharing, and so on – has helped Chinese citizens improve their ability to read, and enhance their opportunity to discuss, publish and communicate on a wider range of topics, events, and issues than ever before.

According to latest report from China Internet Information Center (CINIC), by end of 2007, there are 210 million Internet users ( 75% broadband) in China. Compare USA: 215 mill.

• An increase of 65% during 2007.

• Broadband increase of 250% during 2007.

• Internet deployment in China is at a very early stage, reaching 15 % of the population.

• More than 80% of the under-24s are Internet users.

• Blogging is increasingly popular.

• By 2010, it is estimated that China will have more than 250 million Internet users.

• There are more than 500 million mobile phone users, a number growing by roughly 60 million per annum.