VietNamNet Bridge - Decree 06 on management, provision and use of radio and television services, which would take effect on March 15, sets up limitations on the number of foreign TV channels on pay-TV.


Under the decree, the number of foreign TV channels on every pay-television system must not account for more than 30 percent of total TV channels.

At present, the number of foreign TV channels on many pay-televisions are higher than the permitted level. 

The SD package of the Hanoi Cable Television, for example, is advertised as having 30 foreign channels out of 74 channels provided. This means that the number of foreign channels accounts for more than 40 percent total channels.

The cable TV packages provided by other television stations which have 70 channels and more (for analog TV) and 250 channels (for digital TV) have a number of foreign channels equal to the number of Vietnamese channels.

Decree 06 on management, provision and use of radio and television services, which would take effect on March 15, sets up limitations on the number of foreign TV channels on pay-TV.

An analyst commented that though Vietnamese televisions have made considerable progress in the quality of services they provide, subscribers still prefer foreign channels. Meanwhile, it is easy to watch foreign TV channels because TV service providers show subtitles in Vietnamese.

Therefore, he warned that the limitation on the number of foreign TV channels would make pay-TV less attractive in users’ eyes.

The analyst said that with the new regulation, television companies will have to either cut  the number of foreign and total TV channels or increase the number of Vietnamese channels. If they do the former, they would fail to attract viewers and would find it difficult to gather strength to expand the production of TV programs.

Nguyen Huong, a subscriber in Hanoi, said there should be such a restriction. 

“Subscribers have to spend money to watch TV and they have the right to demand high-quality programs. Meanwhile, foreign TV channels are obviously better than Vietnamese ones. The programs are better organized and more professional,” she said.

How to control the service fee when the new decree takes effect is also a matter of pay televisions’ interest.

Television companies, which scramble for subscribers, have to lower the service fees to levels so low that they cannot earn enough money for re-investment and expansion.

A television company’s representative said the monthly subscription fee set by some television companies is even lower than the price of urbanites’ breakfasts.

The Vietnam Pay-TV Association had repeatedly asked the Ministry of Information and Communication to come forward and take management over TV service fee.

However, the ministry has replied that TV service fee is not a service item named in the list of products and services that need price control from the State.

Lao Dong