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Tuning into the World Cup illegally

If fans can't fly to Japan or Korea many are looking forward to seeing the World Cup on the best service money can buy.

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- In Asia a growing number of viewers are tuning into television services that are provided illegally from other countries.

As World Cup mania takes hold in the region, some people are finding ingenious ways to make sure they do not miss a single match.

In a rural neighborhood near Hong Kong's border with mainland China, you can hear the roar from a soccer stadium.

The noise comes from a television station thousands of kilometers away and has been pulled out of the sky by Dave Weaver, a former police officer and television addict.

"This is a satellite decoder I've borrowed from a friend of mine somewhere in Africa," Weaver told CNN.

"It's simply here to prove that the service from Multi Choice, which is a provider in South Africa, can actually be received here in Hong Kong," he says.

With the right decoder, viewers can downlink a treasure trove of content from any number of countries.

And this equipment is giving people a wider choice of programming than is normally available in Hong Kong.

Consumers feel justified

Some content providers feel they are being taken for a ride.

Many channels, including National Geographic, Discovery, and even CNN, have carefully negotiated copyright agreements with a handful of companies licensed to distribute their programs in the territory.

Weaver says the problem is distributors do not always provide a service in rural areas or just don't deliver enough choice, which means viewers feel justified to shop around.

"They are simply pushed in the direction a lot of them don't want to go, which is to go and buy an illegal copyright infringing service for a lot of money," says Weaver.

Yet in Hong Kong's northwest New Territories, outlets will quite happily sell you a decoder.

For about $2,000 (HK $14,000) you can get UBC programs, a television station from Thailand, via a Thai-com satellite.

This entitles you to all kinds of different programs including HBO, AXN and ESPN.

On ESPN via this service you should be able to see the World Cup.

The decoder also allows you to access Star Sports, CNBC, BBC World and CNN.

Five years in jail

According to Hong Kong law it's illegal to sell television decoders for television programs offered on a subscription basis, unless the service is licensed.

Yet the manager of the outlet in the New Territories quoted us a subscription rate on the phone for the unlicensed UBC.

Marcel Fenez, who chairs a television industry association called CASBAA, is dismayed by the rampant illegal distribution.

"We have someone doing business here who should not be, quite frankly," he says.

"Right now broadcasters are preparing civil action aimed at stamping out copyright infringement in Hong Kong," says Fenez.

The government told us it is still "clarifying its position" on illegal distribution of decoders for subscription services, an offense punishable by up to five years in jail, he says.

Weaver, himself a former official satellite dish installer, supports a crackdown on illegal traders but admits people are looking forward to seeing the World Cup on the best service money can buy.