East Asian Super League

What East Asian Super League does

East Asia Super League (EASL), operated by Asia League Limited and headquartered in Hong Kong, is a regional professional basketball competition structured as a "champions league" format for East Asian club basketball. Founded in 2016, EASL organizes an annual tournament featuring top clubs from the B.LEAGUE (Japan), KBL (Korea), P.LEAGUE+ (Chinese Taipei), PBA (Philippines), and leagues from Hong Kong, Macau, and (new for 2025-26) Mongolia. The league runs a 30-game Group Stage from October through February, culminating in a Final Four championship weekend, and operates under a 10-year exclusive agreement with FIBA (signed August 2020) granting it the regulatory mandate to run the regional championship in East Asia and the Philippines.

EASL's product surface includes the championship competition itself, an official website (easl.basketball) hosting schedules, standings, statistics, and video content, a free live-streaming/broadcast service ("Where to Watch"), and a comprehensive player/team statistics platform. Distribution reaches audiences through broadcast television and digital streaming partners, with on-the-ground ticketing handled via Ticketlink and live events such as the Final Four hosted at venues like Studio City Event Center in Macau. The 2019 event secured worldwide TV and streaming viewership of 117 million+.

The company monetizes through three primary streams: (1) broadcasting and streaming rights sold to television networks and digital platforms across Asia and globally, (2) sponsorship and product partnerships with brands including Under Armour, Spalding, Philippine Airlines, Grand Hyatt, Tradable Bits, and Grand Mer, and (3) ticketing for live games and the Final Four. The championship carries a USD $1 million grand prize. The league is privately held, closed a $40 million Series C funding round in December 2022 led by Crest with participation from Raine Ventures, and operates with a lean core staff of 11-50 employees reflecting an event-driven, capital-light business model.

Name

East Asian Super League

Legal name

Asia League Limited

Website

https://easl.basketball

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Asia Super League (EASL), operated by Asia League Limited from Hong Kong, runs the premier regional club basketball championship in East Asia and the Philippines under a 10-year exclusive FIBA mandate, serving fans, broadcast partners, and sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Basketball League

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

akta.pro primary industry

Basketball Leagues (MPAKAAAD)

Keywords

• Professional basketball league
• Regional sports championship
• Broadcast streaming rights
• Sports sponsorship media
• Club basketball competition

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcasting and Streaming Rights: EASL generates revenue through broadcasting and streaming rights sold to television networks and digital platforms across Asia and globally.
2. Sponsorship and Product Partnerships: The league partners with sponsors and product partners including Grand Mer, Under Armour, Ticketlink, Serious Player Only, Philippine Airlines, Ilagan City, Grand Hyatt, Tradable Bits, Spalding, LGR, and Jeju Samdasoo for sponsorship revenue.
3. Ticketing: EASL sells tickets for live games and the Final Four event, held at venues like Studio City Event Center in Macau.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

East Asian Super League operates an annual regional club basketball championship featuring top teams from East Asia's leading leagues (B.LEAGUE Japan, KBL Korea, P.LEAGUE+ Chinese Taipei, PBA Philippines, plus clubs from Hong Kong, Macau, and Mongolia). Each season comprises a 30-game Group Stage (October to February) followed by a Final Four weekend to crown the regional champion, with a USD $1 million grand prize. The league distributes games through broadcast TV, streaming, and live event ticketing under a 10-year exclusive agreement with FIBA.

Product overview

EASL operates as a single unified sports entertainment product — the East Asia Super League championship platform. The core offering is the regional basketball competition combining the best clubs from top East Asian leagues (B.LEAGUE, KBL, P.LEAGUE+, PBA, CBA) into a champions league format. The product portfolio includes the championship competition itself, the official website and digital platform (easl.basketball), a live streaming/broadcast service, and a comprehensive statistics platform tracking player and team performance across seasons. EASL also organizes the Final Four weekend tournament to crown the regional champion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EASL Basketball Championship The flagship regional club basketball competition featuring top teams from East Asia's premier leagues competing in a 30-game Group Stage (October to February) and a Final Four weekend to crown the East Asian champion, with a USD $1 million grand prize.
• EASL Where to Watch / Broadcast & Streaming Live broadcast and streaming service for watching EASL games through partner television networks and digital platforms across Asia and globally, including information about where each game is available.
• EASL Statistics Platform Comprehensive basketball statistics platform on easl.basketball featuring league leaders, team stats, player stats, and game performance data across multiple EASL seasons.

Quantifiable outcome

• 117 million+ worldwide TV and streaming viewers for 2019 event

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• FIBAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020EASL operates under a 10-year exclusive agreement with FIBA, basketball's world governing body, to run a new regional championship in East Asia and the Philippines. This exclusive arrangement gives EASL unique legitimacy and regulatory backing as the premier regional basketball competition.
• DentsucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDentsu, a major advertising and media company, secured a partnership with EASL. This partnership follows Dentsu's recent securing of broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Japan, showing Dentsu's commitment to sports media in Asia.
• Grand MerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProduct partner providing services or products to EASL
• Under ArmourminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial product partner of EASL
• TicketlinkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner for EASL games and events
• Philippine AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial airline partner of EASL
• Grand HyattminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hotel partner of EASL
• SpaldingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial basketball partner providing game equipment

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EuroLeague Basketball: Operates Europe's premier club basketball championship with a similar top-clubs-from-top-leagues format. Closest structural comparable to EASL in scale, format, and governance approach (independent entity with FIBA-affiliated legitimacy).
• Basketball Champions League (FIBA): FIBA's pan-European second-tier club basketball competition. Directly comparable as a FIBA-sanctioned regional club championship format, sharing the same governing body relationship that gives EASL its exclusive agreement.
• ASEAN Basketball League (ABL): Historical regional club basketball league in Southeast Asia. Direct comparable in geographic scope and target audience (Asian basketball fans), though with different governance and a less successful operating track record.

Broad incumbents

• B.League (Japan): Japan's top professional basketball league and the largest national league participating in EASL. Comparable as the dominant basketball property in one of EASL's key markets and a major feeder of teams (3 in 2025–26 season).
• Korean Basketball League (KBL): South Korea's premier professional basketball league and a key EASL participant (Changwon LG Sakers, Seoul SK Knights). Comparable as a national-scale league whose marquee teams compete in EASL's championship.
• Philippine Basketball Association (PBA): The Philippines' top professional basketball league, historically the most basketball-passionate market in Southeast Asia. Comparable as a major national league that feeds teams (Meralco Bolts) into EASL's regional championship.
• P.LEAGUE+ (Taiwan): Taiwan's top professional basketball league and a key EASL participant (Taipei Fubon Braves, New Taipei Kings, Taoyuan Pauian Pilots). Comparable as a national-scale basketball property whose best clubs compete in EASL.
• Chinese Basketball Association (CBA): China's top professional basketball league — the largest basketball market in Asia by audience. Notable comparable due to its current absence from EASL rosters, making it both a missed opportunity and a potential upside lever if relations normalize.

Regional players

• National Basketball League (Australia): Australia's premier professional basketball league. Comparable as another Asia-Pacific basketball property with international ambitions and broadcast reach, though operating in a different geography.
• Liga ACB (Spain): Spain's top professional basketball league, widely considered one of the strongest national leagues outside the NBA. Comparable in league-scale and quality, though serving a European rather than Asian audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EASLofficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCE--r0UnH4KFVBtFVHN5jeA
• Facebookfacebook.com/eastasiasuperleague
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eastasiasuperleague
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastasiasuperleague
• TikToktiktok.com/@easlofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East Asian Super League