Watching content on smart TVs through apps provided by internet TV service providers has become popular in recent years in Vietnam.

With the function of customizing the operating system’s interface, smart TVs often have pre-installed apps on the Home Screen.

However, the problem, according to the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), is that many TV apps pre-installed on TV home screens and all the apps integrated into buttons on smart TV control boards are apps which don’t fully comply with or even violate Vietnamese law.

The apps may have bad or toxic content not suited to Vietnamese culture, having negative effects on children and young people.

Meanwhile, on smart TVs, in order to access domestic TV channels, normal users have to use two controllers. If they use one controller, they have to conduct many operations to reach the goals they want. This hinders TV viewers from accessing the content of mainstream media.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam, at the May press conference, said MIC has been aware of the problem. 

In the first week of May, ABEI had a meeting with the two largest TV manufacturers in Vietnam, Samsung and LG, and it plans to work with three other large manufacturers to discuss the issue.

MIC will ask manufacturers to consult with the state management agency on broadcasting and press before putting any button on the TV controller. 

If there is any button that drives viewers to apps which allow them to watch content that is in violation, MIC will request to stop or remove the integration of these buttons. This content must not be activated and must not be installed on smart TV platforms.

Meanwhile, TV manufacturers need to install the apps related to mainstream media, thus creating favorable conditions for viewers to access official channels with ready-installed hard keys in the TV versions to be manufactured in the future. This will allow you to watch TV, publications and newspapers in Vietnam in an easy and convenient way.

Lam said that MIC is joining forces with the two most important media agencies, namely the Vietnam National Television (VTV) and the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) to build and complete the national digital TV and broadcasting platforms.

Van Anh