Authorities dismantled a large-scale illegal football streaming ring.

(Chinhphu.vn) - On May 27, the Bac Ninh Provincial Police announced that the Provincial Police Investigation Agency has initiated a criminal case and indicted 10 defendants involved in the operation of the "Bun Cha TV" website system for the crime of "Infringing copyright and related rights".

The Investigation Police Department of Bac Ninh province is working with the suspect in the case.

Previously, around February 2026, through intelligence gathering, the Bac Ninh Provincial Police discovered that the website "Bun Cha TV" showed signs of illegally broadcasting many sports events for which broadcasting rights had been purchased in Vietnam. Every day, this system received hundreds of thousands of visits to watch English Premier League, Champions League, and many other sports. The matches all had Vietnamese commentary, and the interface was quite professionally designed, attracting a large number of viewers.

In addition to illegally broadcasting sports content, this website also displays advertisements, redirecting viewers to illegal online gambling sites. The greater the traffic, the more money the perpetrators earn from advertising and betting.

In response to this situation, the Bac Ninh Provincial Police established a special task force to combat the operation. The investigation revealed that the system was tightly organized, with clearly defined roles and numerous methods to conceal its activities. The suspects registered domain names abroad, used multiple layers of intermediaries to hide their IP addresses, used virtual accounts to manage the websites, and communicated primarily through encrypted applications. Payments to group members were also made using cryptocurrency to avoid detection.

Verification results revealed that an individual residing in Hanoi organized and operated the "Bun Cha TV" website system, establishing numerous separate departments such as programming, website operation, content creation, commentators, advertising, SEO, and accounting, functioning as an "underground company" in cyberspace. The person in charge of each group continued to recruit collaborators and assign tasks online, so most individuals in the network did not know each other in real life.

The entire operation of the network, from assigning tasks and exchanging information to paying wages, was conducted online. The individuals involved frequently changed access devices, website domain names, and moved across multiple provinces and cities. The system operated quite professionally. The programming team was responsible for maintaining the network and broadcasting technology; the operations team updated the match schedule and provided viewing links; the commentators provided live commentary to keep viewers engaged; while the advertising and SEO team was tasked with driving traffic to the website.

The system's main source of revenue comes from advertising and directing viewers to online betting sites. Many broadcasts also feature content analyzing odds and predicting scores to encourage viewers to participate in betting. Participants are highly compensated, with commentators earning 50-70 million VND per person per month.

On May 15th, the Special Investigation Team, in coordination with the police of several provinces and cities, summoned and questioned the individuals involved. During searches of their residences and workplaces, authorities seized 38 computers, 42 mobile phones, recording equipment, bank accounts, and software used for illegal broadcasting.

On May 18th, the Provincial Police Investigation Agency issued a decision to initiate a criminal case for the crime of "Infringement of copyright and related rights" under Article 225 of the Penal Code. To date, the police have prosecuted 10 individuals involved in the ring.

Currently, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Bac Ninh Provincial Police is continuing to coordinate with professional units of the Ministry of Public Security to further expand the investigation, clarify the identities of other individuals in the network, and thoroughly and strictly prosecute them according to the law.

The police are calling on all individuals involved in the case to surrender in order to receive leniency from the law.

According to the Ministry of Public Security

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/triet-pha-duong-day-phat-song-bong-da-lau-quy-mo-lon-102260527193802361.htm