A police officer from Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam questions a suspect allegedly involved in an illegal sports streaming operation in this handout photo released by the provincial police department.
The Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday announced that police from Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam had pressed charges against 10 suspects for copyright and related rights infringement.
In February, police discovered that the ‘Bun Cha TV’ website was illegally broadcasting many sports tournaments whose broadcasting rights had already been legally purchased in Vietnam.
The platform reportedly attracted hundreds of thousands of daily viewers watching competitions such as the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, along with other sporting events.
The website featured Vietnamese-language commentary and professionally designed interfaces, helping them gain significant popularity among football fans.
Investigators said the operation not only unlawfully streamed copyrighted sports content but also embedded advertisements and redirected viewers to illegal online gambling websites.
Police determined the network operated in a highly organized manner, with clear internal divisions resembling an underground online company.
According to investigators, a suspect based in Hanoi led the operation and established separate teams responsible for programming, website operations, content management, match commentators, advertising and SEO, and accounting.
Each team leader was accused of recruiting additional collaborators online, meaning many participants never met each other in person.
Authorities said the group used multiple methods to conceal its activities, including registering domains overseas, using multiple intermediaries to hide IP addresses, managing websites with anonymous accounts, communicating mainly through encrypted applications, and paying members using cryptocurrency.
The system frequently changed devices, domains and operating locations across multiple provinces and cities to avoid detection.
Investigators found that the group’s main revenue sources came from advertising and directing traffic to online betting platforms.
Some broadcasts also included betting tips and score predictions intended to encourage gambling participation.
Members of the organization were reportedly paid high salaries, with commentators earning between VND50 million (US$1,900) and VND70 million ($2,660) per month.
On May 15, police coordinated with authorities across several provinces and cities to summon and question suspects involved in the case.
During their searches of homes and workplaces, authorities seized 38 computers, 42 mobile phones, audio recording equipment, bank accounts, and software used for illegal broadcasting activities.
The investigation is continuing as police work with specialized units of the Ministry of Public Security to identify additional individuals connected to the network.
Authorities have also called on anyone involved in the case to surrender voluntarily in order to receive leniency under Vietnamese law.
