The FIFA World Cup this time around is not a boon for video theatre owners in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State in northern Burma. The owners are ruing the decreasing sale of tickets for their shows despite a lot of preparation and hard work having gone in, in the hope of raking in the moolah, said local people.
The video theatre owners reduced the prices of tickets to only 500 Kyats (US$0.5) for three football matches compared to the last two World Cups in 2002 and 2006, when they charged 200 Kyats (US$0.2) and 400 Kyats (US$0.4) for one person for one match, respectively.
Video business owned by local people hardly took off after the Burmese military junta’s Lt-Gen Tin Aye’s son owned Moe Sum Pan Media got the contract for showing all FIFA World Cup matches in the state owned Myanmar Television (MR TV) and Myawaddy Television (MWD TV), said residents.
People are watching World Cup matches in restaurants, tea shops and in the comfort of their homes on MR TV and MWD TV, said video theatre owners.
“We worked hard and spent a lot of money on preparations to show the World Cup but we are really disappointed that the business is not getting off the ground,” said an owner.
A video theatre owner said, in the last World Cup they had plenty of viewers and made a lot of profit, but this time only about 15 people came to watch.
However some like Ko Htun, who prefer to watch the soccer matches at home, said he is more comfortable and could avoid cigarette smoke and the smell of liquor in the video parlours.
“If we have 200 Kyats we can watch World Cup for a night in a tea shop,” said a youth from Myitkyina.
Video theatres witnessed full house for only two nights because MR TV and MWD TV did not show football matches on Wednesday. And on Thursday night the whole of Myitkyina suffered power cuts, said owners.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Burma and during the World Cup and European Championship, millions of Burmese people including women, children and the elderly watch the entire tournament supporting the team they root for.
A lot of people are also involved in betting on the football matches despite it being illegal in Burma.
http://www.kachinnews.com/News/Business-suffers-for-Myitkyina-video-thea...
