When North Koreans turn on state television, they can expect to watch dry documentaries on the Kim family’s greatness, children’s cartoons extolling the virtues of patriotism and news reports promoting scientific advancements.

But sandwiched between the propaganda, it’s not uncommon for state broadcaster Korean Central Television (KCTV) to air international sporting events ranging from Premier League soccer games to French Open tennis matches — even though in many cases it doesn’t appear to have the rights to do so.

This situation raises questions about how the DPRK acquires such sports broadcasts, which would likely require it to pay millions of