When a grassroots rural basketball tournament is amplified by media, how can it break free from the frenzy of temporary viral traffic and grow into a fully sustainable cultural and sports industry?
Recently, the second session of the Shanghai United Media Group's Open Media Class focused on the theme of "Integrated Media Value Power" and innovative operations.
The course centered on the cultural and sports IP innovation and operations track, with special guest Sun Zhidan, Deputy Director of Guizhou Radio and Television Station's Public Channel, delivering a keynote sharing titled "How a Viral IP Grows into an Industry: What Media Is Operating Behind Guizhou's 'Village BA'." Drawing on hands-on experience across the entire "Village BA" operational chain, she analyzed the transformation path of media shifting from news chroniclers to co-building partners of IPs.
A total of 126 frontline colleagues from 14 units within the group attended the on-site learning session.
A Rural Basketball Tournament 90 Years in the Making: How It Grew into the Phenomenal IP 'Village BA'
Sun Zhidan has spent 15 years deeply rooted in the media industry, transitioning from a frontline reporter to new media, and now oversees the operations and content of "People's Attention."
During her sharing, she recalled: "Village BA" went viral in late July 2022, but even before the tournament became a hit, the team had already established a presence in Taipan Village — where the village's basketball games had been played for 90 years.
From its very name, this IP carried inherent viral DNA: from "Guizhou Province Beautiful Countryside Basketball Tournament Qiandongnan Finals" to C(un)BA, and finally settling on the name "Village BA."
Sun Zhidan said, "The name 'Village BA' seemed to have the potential to become a hit."
What truly ignited the first spark was a "mobile-first" communication strategy.
The team used short videos as the detonator for spreading awareness, insisting on deploying dozens of staff per livestream, producing signals for free and making them openly available to media nationwide; proactively supplying content to central media, building a three-tier discourse system of "central media — provincial and municipal mainstream media — top platforms," and customizing differentiated content and VR livestreams for platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou.
"Resources are integrated, and trending topics are created." Sun Zhidan's team took this philosophy to the extreme: cultivating story hooks for Sa Beining, planning the cucumber story; building up on-camera reporter Li Xuhan and co-creating the topic "Rush to Qiandongnan, Capture Li Xuhan Alive"; collaborating with Marbury to film short videos of him speaking Guizhou dialect saying "Village BA is here," and then to a photo exhibition in France, completing an international communication loop in the United States with "Cotton Basketball" — an original grassroots public tournament, amplified step by step into a complete industry IP covering cultural tourism, entertainment, and competitive events.
How to Upgrade from a Content Hit to an Industry Track
Beyond content, Sun Zhidan shared the real challenges media face when transitioning into industry tracks.
In her view, the cultural, commercial, tourism, sports, and exhibition sector is a preferred direction for media to achieve high-quality breakthrough, as it aligns with policy guidance and can revitalize existing resources such as editorial teams and event execution capabilities, extending media value.
She proposed that the role of media professionals is evolving — from news chroniclers gradually growing into collaborative co-builders of IPs; the operational logic is also shifting, leveraging content advantages to incubate distinctive cultural and sports IP brands and explore new paths for media convergence.
Roundtable Discussion: Adapting to Local Conditions, Finding Breakthrough Paths for Cultural and Sports IP Development
After the keynote sharing, the open class entered a roundtable discussion segment, moderated by Miao Xiali, head of the Science and Technology Internet Studio at Shanghai Morning Post and chief curator of Sharp Tech. Huang Jingyu, President and Editor-in-Chief of Oriental Sports Daily, was invited as a dialogue guest to engage in deep intellectual exchange with Sun Zhidan around core topics including media's deep cultivation of cultural and sports event IPs, conversion of trending traffic, government-enterprise-media collaborative operations, and differentiated development of regional IPs. Drawing on operational experience from cultural and sports events with different regional characteristics and backgrounds, they brought diverse practical insights to colleagues in attendance.
During the dialogue, the two guests focused on the core logic of media-run events.
Sun Zhidan conducted an in-depth review of "Village BA's" growth trajectory, interpreting the natural breakthrough advantages of grassroots events, the operational model of cultural tourism integration, and the development path of local empowerment.
Huang Jingyu introduced how the "Bank of Shanghai" Cup Xinmin Evening News International Middle School Football Tournament fully embraced "youth exchange" — from injecting professional resources to enhance youth football literacy, to expanding its reach by promoting "competition-driven exchange" among youth from different regions, comprehensively solidifying the event's core.
One focused on tapping and amplifying regional cultural tourism resources, while the other emphasized building and strengthening a media's own brand — different approaches and different experiences were shared and mutually inspired during the roundtable.
The roundtable also discussed the effectiveness of cultural, commercial, tourism, sports, and exhibition empowerment and the replicability of IPs.
Sun Zhidan believed that "replication is mainly reflected in the in-depth interpretation, effective reference, and innovative transformation of mechanisms, models, and other innovations based on adapting to local conditions."
Miao Xiali concluded by stating that her own media outlet — Shanghai Morning Post — is also fully exploring diversified practical paths for cultural, commercial, tourism, sports, and exhibition empowerment. In serving the overall development of the city, it not only expands media influence but also solidifies the lifeline of sustainable development.
On-Site Q&A: Exploring the Joint Growth Path of Individual and Project IPs
The interactive discussion segment of this open class was lively, with attendees eagerly asking questions, extending the session by an hour.
What were the points of interest? Personal IPs, MCN mechanisms, international communication, and commercial collaboration, among others.
1. How do internet-famous reporters maintain their popularity?
Sun Zhidan explained: First, reporters deeply connect with projects, so that under reporters' professional accumulation, content related to "Village BA" and "Village Super League" is further explored in depth, and the advantages of professional reporters' content strengths are continuously enhanced; Second, establish an operational system — on the basis of clear account ownership, vigorously provide incentives and support, fully empowering the joint growth of quality personal IPs and project IPs.
2. How can media win government projects?
Sun Zhidan stated that media has an extra card that social companies lack — "publicity empowerment." Only by packaging planning, execution, livestreaming, and publicity into an integrated solution can differentiated competitiveness be formed.
Inspired Thinking: How Can Content Influence and Content Value Power Better Achieve Resonance at the Same Frequency
From the rural basketball court in Taipan Village, Guizhou, to the urban green field where Shanghai middle school football athletes run; from viral IPs mined and built by media, to viral IPs carefully cultivated by media — this open class used typical examples to fully share and engage in lively exchange with Shanghai United Media Group staff around "Integrated Media Value Power."
Combining their own work realities, many attendees gained new inspiration on how mainstream media's content influence can be transformed into sustainably realized content value power.
Gao Xing, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Shanghai Daily and General Manager of Shanghai Daily Cultural Media Co., Ltd., stated that this sharing closely addressed the real needs of media transformation, and the frontline practical experience was highly valuable for learning and reference.
A documentary director from Eastday.com remarked that the guest's practical sharing was down-to-earth and highly inspiring.
Zhang Jun, Vice President of The Paper and Director of The Paper Research Institute, also believed that the practical experience generously shared by the guest offered many insights for how The Paper Research Institute can further deeply integrate into urban economic and social development and build a think-tank-style IP that serves social development.
Text by: Ding Xinfang, Group New Media Development Research Center
Photography by: Qian Jiahao
Text Editor: Xiao Dao
WeChat Editor: Bao Yongting