BLV Anh Ngoc: 'Vietnam's football viewing packages are the cheapest in the world'

The dismantling of the illegal "Xoi Lac TV" broadcasting ring and the indictment of 30 individuals is a subject drawing major public interest. Beyond harming entities holding sports broadcasting rights, this operation was also linked to the promotion and operation of online betting.

Although an unofficial, copyright-infringing channel, the commentary team of Xoi Lac TV received much affection and recognition from its audience. During a talk show, seasoned sports commentators and journalists expressed their candid views on this issue.

Present was BLV Truong Anh Ngoc, a renowned Vietnamese sports reporter and commentator. During the talk show, Anh Ngoc stated:

“This is a matter related to awareness. We all know Xoi Lac TV started in 2016 and has existed for the past 10 years. During that time, official broadcasters lost a large viewership. Many young fans told me watching pirated football is quite fun. The commentators crack jokes, pleasing the audience. However, behind those jokes, they lured viewers into gambling,” BLV Anh Ngoc said.

According to Anh Ngoc, this is an issue of public awareness. Sadly, in his view, it's not just the act of copyright theft, but also that a segment of viewers consider it normal.

“Pirated broadcasting is not only an act of copyright theft but is also linked to gambling activities. These are the wrongful actions of Xoi Lac TV and dozens of other illegal football streaming sites. This inadvertently leads people to believe that gambling or copyright theft is normal, not wrong”, added the commentator born in 1976.

One reason viewers chose Xoi Lac TV was the completely free access to matches. Some football viewers consider paid TV packages expensive. Speaking on this, commentator Anh Ngoc was also frustrated:

“Football viewing prices in Vietnam are the world's cheapest, yet many use their circumstances as an excuse to abet copyright theft, which is illegal. They even value pirated products more than the broadcasters' official offerings.”.

BLV Truong Anh Ngoc, born in 1976, is known as one of Vietnam's leading sports reporters, primarily in football and especially Italian football. Anh Ngoc was the first Vietnamese journalist invited by the prestigious magazine France Football to participate in voting for the Ballon d'Or award.