Blackie Chen Apologises For Watching The Olympics Via Pirated Stream

Taiwanese host Blackie Chen has apologised for watching the Olympics through a pirated online stream from a set-top box.

For the past week, the 43-year-old has been sharing snippets of the Olympics and cheering for Taiwan athletes on Instagram Stories.

It was all fun and games (quite literally, we must say) until sharp-eyed netizens noticed that Blackie was streaming the Olympics from a pirated source.

What gave it away was a caption on the top corner of screenshot he posted that showed that the footage was streamed from an Anbo brand TV set-top box. Such digital boxes offer access to pirated online streams of movies, TV shows and sporting events.

This drew backlash from netizens who questioned how Blackie, who is the CEO of basketball league P. LEAGUE+, can be streaming sporting content from a pirated source.

How can P. LEAGUE+ talk about broadcast rights fees from now on? asked one netizen.

However, unlike Taiwanese host Pauline Lan, who was recently caught watching a K-drama on an illegal streaming site, Blackie did not admit his mistake and instead claimed that he got the screenshot from a friend.

Netizens weren’t pleased with Blackie’s explanation and trawled through his wife Christine Fan’s Facebook page to find photos of the couple’s living room to prove that the pic was taken at their home.

Not only did they find similarities with what was displayed on the TV console, they also discovered that the couple have owned an Anbo set-top box since 2018.

Oops.

It was only then that Blackie apologised for his mistake.

I am deeply sorry, he wrote on Facebook. As a public figure, I must accept a greater social responsibility. I will be responsible for my behavior and learn to pay more attention to my personal behavior. I will continue to use my actions to contribute to the development of sports and give back to the society.

Christine, however, didn't feel a need to apologise.

Perhaps tired of being mercilessly attacked by haters on social media, she took to Instagram to tell netizens to keep their opinions to themselves.

The difference between pasta and your opinion is I asked for pasta,” she wrote in English.

Her reaction surprised fans who responded with comments like, “It is not shameful to admit when you are wrong. It is shameful when you dare not admit it”.

One netizen also asked: If someone bought a pirated version of your album, would you thank them?”

Good point there.

So if you are watching the Olympics, make sure it’s from a legit source, okay?

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Photos: Christine Fan/Instagram, Blackie Chen/Instagram