Beijing: How do you say "specky" (spectacular mark) in Mandarin? The AFL's milestone broadcast on Chinese state television had the commentators reaching for the dictionary – and possibly more than a few viewers scratching their heads at the unfamiliar sight.

Friday night's match between Port Adelaide and Essendon was broadcast on delay on China's state broadcaster CCTV as part of a landmark deal clinched by the South Australian club to air two of its home games on the network.

The match, which saw Port run away with a 61-point win, aired on CCTV5+, the digital multichannel offshoot of the network's main sports channel. Port's next home game, against Geelong in round five, will be broadcast live.

The initiative, which represents the most significant step to market the game to the world's largest audience since a 2010 exhibition match between Melbourne and Brisbane in Shanghai, came after a two-year effort by Port to seek partnerships and commercial arrangements in China. A further announcement is expected to coincide with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's visit to China next week.