Pacqing a punch among the Satwa piracy brigade
Pirated DVDs of fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley available barely hours after telecast
Dubai: An underground business operation kicks into life in Satwa every time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has a match.
Barely an hour after Pacquiao won a 12-round bout with American Shane Mosley at the MGM Garden Arena yesterday morning, pirated DVD copies of the match were already for sale in selected shops along the Satwa area's Al Hudaiba road. They come as quickly as Pacquiao lands his powerful punches.
Cashing in on Pacquiao's popularity, enterprising individuals started selling mass produced copies of the fight coverage as early as 30 minutes after the match ended. The DVDs are a hit with boxing fans who either missed the fight, or want to keep a copy for their collection.
The fight was broadcast in the UAE exclusively through The Filipino Channel (TFC) with a pay-per-view fee of Dh75. You have to be a subscriber in order to get the service. A monthly subscription costs Dh88. Various Filipino restaurants also offered live screening of the fight, but charged a fee of up to Dh50.
On the way to an undercover reportage, this reporter saw at least half a dozen buyers walking away with the DVDs in nondescript orange and white discs.
"They were more creative with the DVD cover of Pacquiao's last fight because it had his picture," said a woman, who refused to be identified. Her copy cost her Dh10. Sales were brisk this time, she added, saying she didn't have to wait for three hours like last time. They must be making a ton of money by now, Gulf News ventured. Of course, she said, noting that sales will continue until late at night. "I'm sure they've already sold hundreds," she said.
When Gulf News stopped by a barber shop in the area at 10:30am, a man waiting outside said: "They ran out of copies. Someone is bringing more."
He said he had travelled from Al Quoz to Satwa in order to buy a DVD copy. Inside the barber shop, five more men were waiting for their copies to be delivered. Another man directed this reporter to a neighbouring shop. "But there's a queue there as well," he warned.
A TFC representative said the thriving DVD market in Satwa was a surprise, but it has not affected their pay-per-view sales.
