VietNamNet Bridge - Many television stations in Vietnam may be unable to buy broadcasting rights of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup because the price is too expensive.

Japan’s Dentsu Alpha Group, which is authorized by World Sport Group, has offered the copyright price for the largest football tournament in Southeast Asia - AFF Cup - in the three seasons of 2012, 2014 and 2016 with a shocking price of $ 4.2 million ($ 1.4 million per season).

To have the right to broadcast the AFF Cup this year, broadcasters will have to spend at least VND30 billion ($1.5 million).

For a tournament with only 18 matches, the price is said to be too high. The money that the national Vietnam Television Station (VTV) spent to buy the broadcasting rights of Euro 2012 is about $ 4 million.

In the current situation, attracting advertisers in football games is difficult and TV broadcasters may get heavy loss if they buy AFF Cup broadcasting rights.

Two years ago, VTV paid only $300,000 dollars to get the rights to broadcast the AFF Cup 2010, from the opening game of the first round to the final game.

This year, even if the Vietnamese team enters the final, it will play up to seven games and local broadcasters will have to pay about VND4 billion ($200,000) per game, a number that is very hard to be accepted.

If broadcasters are reluctant to buy broadcasting rights of the AFF Cup 2012, Vietnamese football fans may miss the tournament this year.

Compiled by Nam Nguyen