TikTok became a premium sponsor of the 32nd SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games on Monday, helping to maximize the exposure of historic events on its platform to millions of fans and users around the world.
Speaking at a signing ceremony at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) with the Organizing Committee (CAMSOC), Nicholas Pham, Southeast Asia Head of Product Operations at TikTok, said that the platform is proud to be one of the premium sponsors of the Games and is committed to supporting athletes and teams who make it a special event.
“It is not just about sports and content, we also bring people together. We are the platform that is building bridges between cultures and promoting understanding cooperation,” Pham said.
He said there will also be content behind the scenes, such as interviews and highlights of the Games.
“We will also be encouraging fans, users from all over the world, especially the Southeast Asia region, to share their own content using our hashtag SEA Games 2023 and Cambodia 2023.
“This will allow fans to connect with each other, share their experiences and celebrate the Games.”
However, Pham said that he believes the sponsorship is not just about content, TikTok will also commit to promoting the value of SEA Games, which Cambodia will be hosting for the first time in 64 years.
The 32nd SEA Games will be held from May 5 to 17, while the 12th ASEAN Para Games will be held from June 3 to 9, under the slogan ‘Sports: Live In Peace’. An estimated 10,000 athletes and coaches are registered for the games.
Vath Chamroeun, CAMSOC Secretary General, said that the agreement will see TikTok help publish content about Cambodia and SEA Games so that people can know about the country and the Games, boosting the tournament for people to watch.
He added that TikTok's partnership with the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam last year reached hundreds of millions of audience on TikTok. This time, it will help do the same for the 32nd SEA Games in 2023 in Cambodia.
“This is what we need, this makes our SEA Games value added and the popularity will increase, so that it will reach people in and out of the country,” Chamroeun said.
Chamroeun also announced that broadcasting rights for TV will be for sales to Southeast Asian countries and as for local TV outlets, it will be free, as decided by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“For TikTok, it's very important for social media and right now, Cambodian people are using TikTok a lot,” he said.
Steven Path, CEO of Pathmazing, which helped break the deal with TikTok for CAMSOC, said the social media platform plays an important role in exposing the historic events to the world.
“We understand that social media is extremely important, playing a critical role in the promotion of Cambodian athletes as well as the SEA Games and tourism in Cambodia,” Path said.
