Can the East Asian Super League (EASL) become the "Champions League" of basketball? CEO Henry Kerins has vowed to double the size of the competition in two years and take on the NBA in the Asian market. Also, Korea's biggest esports star is back.
The 2023-2024 EASL Final Four, which will crown East Asia's strongest basketball clubs, kicks off on Aug. 8 (ET) at the HoopsDome in Cebu, Philippines, with the semifinals between Seoul SK and Anyang Jungkwanjang.
EASL member leagues include South Korea's KBL, the Philippines PBA, Japan's B-League, and Taiwan's P-League. China's participation is essential for the EASL to grow in size. The inaugural tournament was held last season. Due to complicated circumstances, including the coronavirus, the event was scaled back.
This is the first tournament that actually happened as planned. The top 1-2 teams from the four leagues participated. They were divided into groups A and B and played a home-and-away pool league. In addition to Jungkwanjang (2nd in Group A) and SK (1st in Group B), Japan's Chiba Jets (1st in Group A) and Taiwan's New Taipei Kings (2nd in Group B) advanced to the Final Four.
EASL CEO Henry Kerins and COO Mark Fisher met with reporters ahead of kickoff and laid out their blueprint for making the EASL the Champions League of basketball.
Here's the full conversation with Kerins and Fisher
-Why did you host the event in Cebu?
Kerins (CEO) - We were looking for a neutral country, and accessibility was important. We looked for direct flights from the participating countries. We wanted it to be a place where clubs, league officials, and media could have a new experience. The information and support from the Philippines was very helpful. If we were in Korea, Jeju Island would have been fine. The next one will have the same criteria.
-Basketball fans won't watch the NBA unless it's their league.
Fisher (COO) - We have different strengths. Asian basketball is available to Asians in prime time. It's intuitive. It features players from their own leagues. There's a global appeal for Asian products. Asian consumers are buying more Asian products. There's a lot more appeal than the NBA in Asia.
Mr. Kerins (CEO) - Let's be honest, we can't go beyond the NBA itself. We're going to dig into the fact that people in Asia don't really care about the casual culture in America. Our target is non-basketball fans, not just hardcore fans. In the case of Lee Kwan-hee (LG), 토토사이트 she started with 8,000 followers on social media and grew to 800,000. We can attract people who are not basketball fans. Our goal is to get people interested in Asian basketball through culture, food, music, etc.
-What are your plans for expanding the league in phases?
Fisher (COO) - Starting with the 2025-2026 season, we'll bring in new leagues, including China. Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore in Southeast Asia are growing markets. We hope to add one or two teams from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other countries that already have competitive leagues.
Kerins (CEO) - We will go from 8 teams to 16 teams in the future. We're going to do it incrementally. We are in positive discussions with China. We're in positive discussions with China. In Asia, you don't have the opportunity to experience international competition unless you are a national team. There is a sense of crisis that Chinese basketball has lost its international competitiveness. That's where our interests coincide. There will be good results.
-Public relations and marketing are important.
Kerins (CEO) - SK raised its profile in China through PayPal. The advantage is that we can expose the parent brand through basketball. With us, it's six countries at once (Korea, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China). One plus one equals six. Local is global is the trend these days. When we started Asian basketball, investors were skeptical. All of our metrics - viewership, attendance, sponsors, etc.
Fisher (COO) - We need to have mutually strategic alliances with our partner leagues. We are a platform. LG, SK, Samsung, etc. are all global companies that are targeting overseas markets.
-It's not easy for basketball to be successful in Korea.
Kerins (CEO) - It's a disadvantage to play on Wednesdays at 7pm. In the KBL, both home and away fans come. In the EASL, it's almost only home fans, so the attendance may drop. This is something we will have to deal with next season. This season, we focused on running a stable competition. We admit that our marketing efforts were lacking. We now have the know-how. Next season, we can focus on marketing. We will try to increase attendance by inviting celebrities, creating more programs with broadcasters, adding on-site entertainment items, etc.
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