VTV vows to prevent K+ from holding exclusive EPL rights

3Television stations in Vietnam suggested VTV to intervene to prevent K+ from holding the exclusive rights to the English Premier League - Photo: AFP

The rights to air live matches in Vietnam now belong to France-based Canal+, who is believed to transfer them to K+. K+ is a joint venture in Vietnam with Canal+ holding a 49 percent stake, while VTV owns the remaining 51 percent.

At a meeting yesterday in Hanoi, VTV and local TV stations came to an agreement that VTV will suggest that Canal+ share the rights with other stations, and VTV will resort to its control power at K+ to stop it from airing exclusive matches.

Canal+ bought the rights on its own

Nguyen Thanh Luong, deputy general director of VTV, said at the meeting that VTV knew nothing about the purchase of the rights by Canal+, and the foreign firm told VTV about the deal after it was completed.

Earlier, VTV had asked Canal+ to buy the rights in Vietnam directly from the EPL organization board, but Canal+ had lost the deal to IMG Media, Luong added. After IMG media got the rights from EPL organizers, Canal+ bought them back from IMG.

So far, Canal+ has not officially confirmed if it will transfer the exclusive rights to K+. Without K+, other TV stations in Vietnam would be the targets of Canal+ so that it would be able to air the matches live.

At the meeting Vietnam’s TV stations agreed that VTV and the Association of Pay-TVs (VNPayTV) will stand on behalf of them to officially send two dispatches to Canal+ and IMG. One will ask Canal+ to share the rights, and the other for IMG will confirm that the negotiation board is the unique legal partner in discussing the purchase of the EPL rights in Vietnam.

Reactions from Vietnam

Local TV stations yesterday expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the meeting and the willingness of VTV to solve the issue.

VTC even demanded that VTV to refuse the transfer of the EPL rights from Canal+ to K+ based on the fact that VTV, a majority stake holder, was no informed of the deal.

VTC also urged VTV to stop K+ from airing live EPL matches based on the Law of Journalism in Vietnam.

“VTV is the unique partner in controlling the content of programs on K+,” said the VTC representative at the meeting.

Le Dinh Cuong, deputy chairman of VNPayTV, said, “Consumers hold the ultimate decision in using or boycotting K+.”

“In case Canal+ refuses to share the rights with other TV stations, VNPayTV will stand up to call on all other TV stations in Vietnam to refuse totally the EPL rights regardless of the price,” Cuong stressed.

Jacques-Aymar de Roquefeuil, deputy general director of K+, said that the sharing of the EPL rights depends on the contract signed between Canal+ and IMG. Not all matches are sold exclusively, as there are still 250 non-exclusive matches available for all TV stations, he added.