WTA Ventures Partners with QQ Music for 2026 China Swing
- WTA Ventures has signed a strategic content partnership with Chinese music streaming service QQ Music to cover all five tournaments of the 2026 WTA China Swing, sportindustry.co.uk reported.
- The partnership will officially launch during the China Open in Beijing, which runs from September 28th to October 11th, according to sportindustry.co.uk.
- The agreement arrives during a period of substantial broadcast and digital expansion for women's tennis in the country.
WTA Ventures has signed a strategic content partnership with Chinese music streaming service QQ Music to cover all five tournaments of the 2026 WTA China Swing, sportindustry.co.uk reported. The agreement marks the organization’s first collaboration with a Chinese music platform and forms a core part of its expanding digital media strategy in the region.
QQ Music Partnership Launching at China Open in Beijing
The partnership will officially launch during the China Open in Beijing, which runs from September 28th to October 11th, according to sportindustry.co.uk. Alongside the Beijing tournament, the agreement covers the Wuhan Open, Ningbo Open, Guangzhou Open, and Hong Kong Tennis Open. WTA Ventures and QQ Music will jointly develop digital content that combines music with player and tournament narratives. The initiative aims to showcase athletes’ personalities and emotions away from the court while deepening audience engagement across Chinese-speaking communities, as reported by sportindustry.co.uk.
Digital Growth Driving the WTA Strategy in China
The agreement arrives during a period of substantial broadcast and digital expansion for women’s tennis in the country. Data provided by WTA Ventures indicates that total Chinese viewership of international WTA events increased more than 30-fold over the course of 2025. The WTA's official Chinese social media following grew 17% year-on-year to reach 2.3 million users. Short-video platforms including Douyin, Rednote, and WeChat Channels drove the majority of that social expansion, posting combined growth of more than 370% according to sportindustry.co.uk.
Executive Perspectives on Music and Women’s Tennis
Leadership from both organizations emphasized the cultural alignment between sport and streaming audio.
This is our first comprehensive content co-creation partnership with a music streaming platform in China, and one of the latest initiatives of the WTA’s Chinese-language digital media strategy. We want women’s tennis to keep extending its reach through music as a medium, bringing the excitement of the WTA Tour to even more people.
Sarah Swanson, Chief Marketing Officer at WTA Ventures
Hau Zhang, Vice President of QQ Music Business at Tencent Music Entertainment Group, noted the prominent standing of racquet sports within the country. Zhang stated:
Tennis is one of the most popular sports in China. We are honoured to join WTA Ventures in exploring new ways to bring tennis and music together, and to promote women’s tennis in China.
Hau Zhang, Vice President of QQ Music Business at Tencent Music Entertainment Group
Tournament Schedule Opening in September
The 2026 WTA China Swing launches with the China Open on September 28th, 2026, in Beijing.