No more "Buy peach trees on the 30th night of Tet"
Vietnamese audiences will certainly watch the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. These matches are part of the AFC copyright package owned by FPT Television from 2021 - 2024, along with a number of other notable tournaments such as the Asian Cup and U23 Asia.
Fans have recently had to anxiously wait until the last minute to know whether they will be able to watch major tournaments or not, something that happened with the 2018 World Cup or the 2018 ASIAD. Many people compared the negotiation process of Vietnamese broadcasters to "going to the market in the afternoon", extending the negotiation until the opening of the tournament in the hope that the partners will "drink water" on prices.
But that tactic was not very effective, when in the end, a studio in Vietnam (with the support of businesses) still had to pay millions of USD in exchange for the 2018 World Cup copyright. Or at the 2018 ASIAD, it is not until the qualifying round that the audience can watch the team on the small screen.
Can audiences still watch the national team on national television stations?
Over the years, fans have become accustomed to watching the Vietnam team on national television stations. However, up to this point, there is no information about whether these units will broadcast the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup.
It can be seen that VTV is no longer in a top position, "alone in a horse" in the copyright battle when losing many national team tournaments to private units such as the U23 Asian Cup, King's Cup, AFF Suzuki Cup, ...
Meanwhile, private stations are showing their determination to renew the game, as seen from FPT Television's AFC deal. This unit is willing to spend "ton" to fully own tournaments in the Asian region, including the two leading tournaments in the continent, the Asian Cup and U23 Asia.
Taking advantage of monopoly to make a breakthrough in revenue and reputation or being willing to share with other units to serve a large number of fans? That is a question that the person involved needs to answer soon.
Trial and defeat are still ahead
The early "pole" in the third qualifying copyright race shows FPT Television's determination to renew the game, despite the many risks.
From a business perspective, no unit buys copyrights to "receive for fun", especially for a pay TV unit. At the time FPT announced the AFC copyright package in October 2020, the Vietnam national team was uncertain to enter the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. In the worst case, coach Park Hang-Seo's team had to leave the game from the 2nd qualifying round, the audience would not pay attention to the 3rd qualifying round.
There is also the issue of copyright protection in Vietnam. The habit of watching football for free has taken deep into the subconscious of most audiences. When they have to pay a fee to watch, many people are willing to go to illegal football platforms. This causes copyright owners to suffer economic and reputational losses, and may even have their broadcasts stopped.
From the above two factors, commercial value may not be as expected by the station.
On the other hand, if the team continues to enter the 3rd qualifying round, FPT Television will be the bridge between the audience and the team. The media and advertising value from these matches can bring a large source of income to this unit.
General formula for success
copyright is always the most concerned topic before every football event. No matter which unit owns or distributes, the quality of the product and respect for the audience must still be put first if they want to succeed. And FPT Television, even if it brought the tournament early to Vietnamese audiences, is no exception. Let's wait and see what they will bring to football fans nationwide in the upcoming tournament.
FPT Television is officially the owner of the entire broadcasting rights of football tournaments including: AFC Asian Cup, AFC Champions League, AFC Cup, U23 Championship Finals, especially the copyright of the 3rd qualifying round - World Cup 2022 in Asia, including 10 matches that the Vietnam National Team cannot miss against the top teams in the continent, and many other attractive tournaments. Watch and cheer for the extraordinary journey of the Vietnam National Park, live in full on FPT Television!
Readers can refer to more detailed information at the website truyenhinh.fpt.vn or at the official fanpage Facebook.com/truyenhinhfpt or the Youtube Football Vietnam channel of FPT Television.
