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VTC blames copyright for free channels cut
Vietnam Cable Television (VTC) has defended its action of locking viewers’ access to some foreign stations, saying the free broadcasts had been cut because of copyright issues.
Many people across the country have complained because they couldn’t tune in to more than half the original channels they were accessing, despite paying up to VND2.5 million (US$143.40) to buy a receiver for VTC’s Terrestrial Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB -T).
VTC supplies cable television for broadcast to television stations in provinces nationwide and direct to viewers in Hanoi.
VTC has asked owners of the old receivers to buy new ones and pay monthly subscriptions to view the locked channels, including HBO, MTV, CCTV4, DW, TV5, OPT, True Sport, Animal Planet and Asia News.
“We cannot buy copyright from foreign stations to broadcast for free,” VTC’s Deputy General Director, Le Van Khuong, told Thanh Nien Thursday.
“Six years ago, viewers could turn on those channels for free because VTC could broadcast them without any worries,” he said. “The copyright regulations have become stricter since Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Berne Convention.”
“VTC would be heavily penalized if it continued to do so.”
Khuong also said the order of some of the channels had been changed and some had low quality due to some technical changes.
He said VTC expected understanding from the viewers, adding that only 15 channels are being broadcast for free to their receivers, including the channels of Vietnam Television (VTV), VTC and some local stations.
Khuong said they were reviewing the cases of two local stations that complained they had not received any money from VTC for a long period to cover the expenses of running the cable television supplier’s transmitters.
“We will solve the issue as soon as possible and will announce this on VTC channels,” he said. “VTC is committed to maintain the broadcast of its channels through transmitters at local TV stations by all means. It is our major guideline to broadcast nationwide.”
Tran Van Xuan, who works at Thai Nguyen Radio and Television Station, said they want to please their local viewers but “in the long term, it’s not likely that we’ll maintain VTC’s broadcasts for free.”
The second station, Quang Ninh Radio and Television (QTV), said it had received nothing from VTC for the past three years.
Phan Le Tung
thanhnien
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