Sky faces challenge to dominance of sport

Sky is facing a trio of challenges to its domination of sport on television.

It is widely rumoured that the European Commission could be about to act over Sky's dominance in the football market by splitting the rights to Premier League football.

The Premier League and Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes are meeting this week in an attempt to meet a negotiated settlement.

Meanwhile NTL, the company newly formed from its takeover of Telewest, hopes to compete against Sky for the post-2007 rights to Premier League Football when they are auctioned in 2006.

It is widely rumoured that NTL hopes to put together deals for as little as £10 a month.

And challenges are not just coming from football. MP John Grogan has tabled a commons motion in Parliament in an attempt to safeguard the future of Test cricket on terrestrial television.

The Early Day Motion, so far signed by just over 100 MPs, calls on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport to safeguard cricket on free-to-air television after the rights were sold to Sky.

Licensees have been unhappy about the satellite operator having control of so much sport and, in particular, Premier League football, because of price hikes they have suffered in recent years.

A poll on thepublican.com in July revealed that 85 per cent of licensees were considering removing Sky after the latest price hikes.

Licensee Chris Spencer, of the Legh Arms in Knutsford, Manchester, welcomed any moves that could end Sky's control of televised sport.

"We would show football whoever was televising it. It's still expensive to get Sky but you have to pay. Anything that could bring prices down has to be good."

Bill Sharp, licensee of the Kings Arms in London Bridge, and spokesman for the Guild of Master Victuallers, is concerned about the loss of cricket from terrestrial television.

"The jubilation was wiped away after the Ashes by the news that one company was going to have a monopoly and it was going the same way as Premier League football," he said.

"The Sky rates are too high. The average pub cannot afford those rates.

"You should not have to pay for sport and it would be a breakthrough if there was any type of price cut."

A spokeswoman for Sky said: "This is a matter for the respective rights owners the ECB and the Premier League."