China state television has imposed a blackout on Premier League football on its main sports channel, according to reports, in the latest escalation of tensions between London and Beijing.
China Central Television (CCTV) network “demoted” Liverpool’s ceremonial game with Chelsea on Wednesday night from the main CCTV1 channel to the minor CCTV5, schedules show.
None of the remaining fixtures in the top-flight English league’s 2019-2020 season, set for this weekend, will be aired on CCTV, Bloomberg reported.
CCTV1 broadcast a repeat of Juventus versus Lazio in the Anfield side’s slot, and a replay of the Liverpool match was unavailable on the CCTV website, breaking with normal procedure.
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The move was seen as a veiled retaliatory measure, after Britain suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and banned Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G network last week.
The drastic curbs came in response to a sweeping new national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong, widely viewed as wiping away its autonomy, and ongoing human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims.
It is understood the Premier League has contacted its representatives in China and are satisfied there are no current issues with its contract, though observers feared it is a sign of further retaliation to come.
In 2019, CCTV imposed a total blackout on NBA games after an official from a US basketball team praised pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
