Here is the announcement published today

WST Enters New Partnership With Red Lantern To Expand Snooker’s Reach Throughout Asia

WST is excited to join forces with Red Lantern with the intention to expand snooker’s digital media presence throughout Asia and develop the sport’s popularity with fans.

This new partnership will focus on mainland China but also reach into India, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Red Lantern is a global leader in the digital media sphere, working with the Premier League, FIFA, F1, PGA Tour and many other major sports properties. They specialise in growing relationships with fans, through outstanding targeted content and interaction.

WST’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Rowell said: “We have built up a strong fanbase in China, for example on Weibo alone we have 1.4 million followers and 24 million video views last season. However, we recognise the need to take this to the next level and to truly exploit the popularity of snooker in China, particularly as this year we are staging major tournaments there for the first time since 2019.

“This new partnership with Red Lantern will allow us to achieve those goals by creating regionalised, multi-language content, across a wide range of social media platforms throughout the Asia region. We have been one of the most successful sports in China over the past 20 years and we believe we can out-perform many other major sports in the digital sphere. So far, we have only scratched the surface of what we can achieve. This will boost the profile of snooker, to the benefit of all our partners, players, and fans.

“And we expect to see similar growth through targeted content in Thailand, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where we know there is massive potential. We are thrilled to start this journey with Red Lantern and to push our boundaries much further.”

Lewis Hannam, founder of Red Lantern, said: “We are delighted to enter into this innovative partnership with WST. We have always felt snooker is one of the great sporting success stories in China and we look forward to helping WST build and understand their audience in China and Asia much further. We will be creating relevant content on relevant platforms to underpin growth amongst the next generation of fans. We are excited to unlock its potential and see where it can take WST.”

Let’s hope that this isn’t another disaster… I’m not sure what the words “Red Lantern” evoke in the UK but in Belgium, France and other mainland European countries, it is associated with being “last”. Typically the “lanterne rouge” in the Tour the France is the competitor who finishes last.

For those who are into comics, it’s also associated with the Red Lantern Corps a supervillain and sometimes anti-heroic organisation appearing in DC Comics.

But of course in Asia, red lanterns are not at all associated with negative thoughts or deeds… let’s hope all works well. Snooker certainly needs a more exposure and more positivity.