Vietnamese state-run broadcaster VTV has acquired the media rights to the national team’s 2022 Fifa World Cup away qualifier against Indonesia on October 15.
VTV acquired exclusive rights for the game on free-to-air and pay-television, and radio. It acquired non-exclusive rights to stream the game via mobile and online. Its coverage will include a live broadcast on nationwide free-to-air channel VTV6.
Some local media reported that VTV is paying $400,000 (€361,570) for the rights. SportBusiness Media sources were divided as to the accuracy of this figure. Some said it was much too high and represented an asking price that the seller was unlikely to have reached. Others said it was close to the actual fee paid.
Under Vietnamese media regulations, VTV is required to offer a simulcast of the match to other broadcasters. The regulation doesn’t completely undermine the value of the rights, however, because the simulcast would carry advertisements sold by VTV, creating a bigger audience that the broadcaster can factor into its sales.
The rights were sold by the Football Association of Indonesia, the Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia (PSSI). Rights for games in the early rounds of the four-round Asian World Cup qualifiers are sold individually by host federations. The October 15 fixture is in round two. The PSSI is understood to be working with the Infront agency to sell the international rights to its matches.
The Indonesia v Vietnam game on October 15 kicks off at 7:30pm local time at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno stadium. Vietnam is in the same timezone as Jakarta.