In the context of the exciting 2024-2025 Premier League season, the tournament organizers have coordinated with the tournament's broadcasting partner in Vietnam, K+ (VSTV), to introduce the "Boot Out Piracy" campaign to warn fans about the risks of watching illegal online tournaments in Vietnam.
The campaign features stars currently playing in the tournament, including Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal). Through a series of online videos posted on digital platforms, the players sent a message to Vietnamese fans, emphasizing the risks of accessing tournament content through unofficial channels.
The campaign was launched based on research on the risks of illegally watching sports programs online by cybersecurity expert - Professor Paul Watters. Accordingly, criminals often take advantage of pirated websites to install malware, display false advertisements or hijack browsers, thereby stealing personal information and defrauding Vietnamese users.
A study conducted in August 2024, analyzing 25 popular websites that broadcast illegal sports programs in Vietnam, showed that all advertisements on these websites were in the "high risk" group, significantly increasing the possibility of users being exposed to harmful content or being drawn into fraudulent schemes.
Kevin Plumb, Chief Legal Officer of the Premier League, said: “We understand the passion of fans in Asia in general and Vietnam in particular, when they are willing to stay up late to watch the matches of the tournament.
At the same time, we are aware of the risks and dangers of unauthorised online viewing. We want fans to be able to enjoy Premier League matches in the best quality and safest way through official broadcast channels.”
Cybersecurity expert Paul Watters said the findings showed that internet users should be extremely vigilant and stay away from platforms that broadcast illegal content. “Many users mistakenly believe that these sites are harmless, but in reality, criminals are constantly looking for ways to carry out cyberattacks and put users at great risk, from data theft to spreading ransomware and installing malware…”, he said.
In addition to Vietnam, the Premier League organizers and local broadcasting partners will also widely communicate the boycott campaign against copyright infringement across television channels and social networks in Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
