Vietnam Hands Prison Sentences to Illicit Sports Streaming Ring

A Vietnamese court has sentenced four operators of unauthorized sports streaming hub Bun Cha TV to 12 months in prison, marking a notable shift toward custodial penalties in the territory.

According to local court reports cited by TorrentFreak, the Bac Ninh judiciary convicted 14 defendants under Article 225 of Vietnam's Penal Code for infringing copyright and related rights. The four primary figures handed prison terms had managed the platform's programming, content, and day-to-day operations.

Investigators described Bun Cha TV as a structured underground business that generated hundreds of thousands of daily visits. The platform delivered unauthorized feeds of European football fixtures, including the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, accompanied by Vietnamese commentary. The operation funded itself through banner advertising and traffic redirects to unlicensed gambling services, utilizing specialized personnel for search engine optimization, commentary, software engineering, and accounting.

Law enforcement moved against the syndicate on May 15, executing coordinated multi-province searches that yielded 38 seized computers and 42 mobile phones before prosecutors finalized charges.

## Pressure From Global Rights Holders

The legal action followed sharp criticism from international trade authorities. In May, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative launched a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam, citing a historical reliance on suspended sentences and negligible financial penalties that failed to create a meaningful deterrent against commercial piracy.

For studio executives and international rights holders tracked by Hollywood Tomorrow, the imposition of actual jail time represents a tangible policy adjustment, driven largely by bilateral trade pressure and a direct anti-piracy order issued by Vietnam's Prime Minister earlier this year.

The Bun Cha TV convictions arrive as Vietnamese authorities pursue parallel criminal actions against other major digital piracy hubs in the country, including anime portal HiAnime and the prominent Xoi Lac TV sports streaming network.