The development was shared by NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger in his guesting in ESPN’s Ball and the Real World podcast.

“We’re still in the throes of negotiating a broadcast arrangement for live games into those markets,” he said.

Kai Sotto, the first Filipino player to play in the NBL, will make his debut in the 22nd year of the Australian professional league with Adelaide 36ers that is scheduled to start on November 18.

Aside from Sotto, Chinese players will also take action in the league as Zhou Qi signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Liu Chuanxing joined the Brisbane Bullets.

The NBL recognizes the potential of the Philippine and Chinese markets.

“Those are the second and third biggest basketball economies in the world, they’re really significant signings for us. In terms of measuring, largely you look to earned media and how much coverage you’re getting in those markets,” said Loeliger.

“Obviously, you’ve got the metrics around social media which give you instantaneous feedback. The popular social media platforms in China are still relatively new to us so we’re still finding our feet there. We’ve got some learning to do if we’re going to make the most of the opportunities.”