How is the habit of watching for free formed?
Many generations of Vietnamese people still remember the feeling of excitement every time the World Cup season comes. Simply because the whole neighborhood, the whole neighborhood usually only has a few houses with TVs. When the ball rolls, neighbors pull chairs to each other's houses, watching matches from very far away in the world.
That was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, life was still difficult. Television was only in its initial development stage. The number of channels was small, equipment limited, but the attraction of images from the outside world was immense. International football and sports came to Vietnamese audiences in such a context.
Of course, in difficulties, major sports events coming to Vietnam are not copyrighted products in the commercial sense as they are now. Many programs are re-received from international signals, or shared by television organizations as a form of cooperation. Simply called "giving signals".
World Cups, Olympics, or many other major tournaments therefore appear on small screens as a gift. Viewers only need to turn on the TV to watch. In those days, information was still scarce, so even through black and white screens, emotions were always wonderful. And also because of that, a mentality gradually formed, that international football is something that can be watched for free.
It lasted for many years, even when color televisions were available, with the introduction of the English Premier League. By the early 2000s, Vietnamese television developed faster. The number of stations increased, broadcasting technology improved, and many international sports programs were replayed more often. Major European tournaments gradually became familiar to audiences. But audiences still did not have to pay directly to watch those matches. Television was still the most popular means, on promotion channels, fans just turned it on and enjoyed it.
Non-synchronous migration
A turning point began to appear when pay television was born.
Cable television, satellite television, and then digital television opened up a new business model. Viewers began to pay subscription fees to access more content, including major sports tournaments. At the same time, the world sports industry also changed dramatically. Television rights became an important source of revenue for tournaments. The Premier League or Champions League are no longer simply sports events. They are television products with huge commercial value.
Copyright prices increase with each cycle. Television units in Vietnam are therefore forced to enter a new game. To broadcast, you must buy broadcasting rights. That is the law of the market.
However, the faster the market moves, the slower the audience's habits change. For more than 2 decades, many people have become accustomed to watching international football without having to think about costs. When the pay-TV model appeared, the gap between the operation of the market and consumer psychology began to become clear.
For broadcasting units, copyright is a large investment that needs to be recovered. For viewers, football is still something they have been used to watching for free for a long time. And it is in that gap that other ways of watching football begin to take shape. But that is the story of another period, when the internet and social networks appeared, completely changing the way people approach football. When people are still used to asking "is there free shipping?" every time they buy goods online, it is not difficult to understand why the habit of watching football for free still exists after decades.
This needs to be changed because watching for free through pirated channels is complicity in illegal activities.
