"I love my job," Ma Guoli states, bluntly when asked about his role as COO for the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co., Ltd. "100 billion viewers, the real pictures from the Olympic Games, capturing the passion of the players and spectators," he says, and excitement grows on his face.

The very first BOB employee to join the company in May of 2005, Ma brings with him a breadth of culturally specific and industry savvy broadcasting knowledge. His role cannot be understated. Ma is perhaps one of BOB’s best assets.

Ma started his broadcasting career at China Central Television Sports department in the early 80s after eight years of aerial photography for the Chinese Army. Ma admits that he simply “happened” upon sports and broadcasting; after finishing up a degree at Beijing Broadcasting University he received “notice” from his University that he was to be posted at CCTV. “At that time we did not have the freedom to choose,” he explains. It was CCTV’s Human Resources department that placed him in the Sports department. Little did they know how suited he was for the position and at this post, he climbed the ranks, becoming Head of CCTV Sports in 1989 (CCTV Sports became CCTV-5 in 1995).

Ma’s Olympic coverage experience dates from 1984 and he has worked on six Summer Games, and four Winter Games in total. “I came to love covering sporting events,” says Ma. Not only was Ma’s passion for sports and broadcasting clear, so was his sense of what worked for broadcasting to a Chinese audience. The numbers don’t lie – in 1995, CCTV-5’s revenue was 4.5 million RMB. By 2004, the year prior to Ma’s departure, the revenue was 1 billion RMB. He had built a sports broadcasting empire, likened to the U.S’s ESPN. Employee numbers were 20 times what they had been. Ma avoids crediting himself for this growth though, rather sites the Asian Games in 1990 as a turning point for China’s TV industry.
Regardless, BOB is lucky to have him on board. “My role is basically to create a good working environment for all of our BOB experts, while also servicing the RHBs,” explains Ma. He stresses the importance of creating good working relationships that facilitate dealings with BOCOG, local television stations, OBS, Chinese production teams, and other strategic partners. “A good working atmosphere for all parties is essential,” he says. “This is the key to the success of our Olympic coverage.”