Social media kick off new football era

Since the World Cup was televised live for the first time in 1958, television has been the main means for soccer fans worldwide to watch matches. But the nearly 60-year TV soccer era is now giving way to the Internet soccer era, as the World Cup in Brazil this summer has changed fans' viewing habits and made the beautiful game appeal to even broader audience.

The Chinese soccer team's woeful performances mean it didn't participate in the soccer jamboree in Brazil. But despite this and despite the time difference that saw many of the matches played in the weesmall hours of the morning, Beijing time, the event was still unimaginably popular across the country, and catching fans' eyeballs was the top priority for all the media.

In China the country's state broadcaster, China Central Television, is the big World Cup winner because it holds the exclusive TV broadcasting rights. Nevertheless, this year's World Cup showed how deeply the Internet, particularly the mobile Internet, is now embedded in daily life, especially the lives of young people.