Premier League's fresh attack on foreign satellite
The FA Premier League is hoping to include a requirement for all foreign satellite stations which buy Premiership football rights to include warnings about which countries their smartcards can be used in.
Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson said the warnings - similar to the ones being printed on Arabic channel ART's smartcards (see "Foreign Satellite Football Warning...") - could be a requirement of the new contracts which are being negotiated with foreign channels now.
The Premier League is seeking to ensure that all our foreign, including European, broadcast partners will feature warnings on their cardsFAPL spokesman Dan Johnson.
Johnson told morningadvertiser.co.uk: "The Premier League is seeking to ensure that all our foreign, including European, broadcast partners will feature warnings on their cards as to which countries it is legal to use them."
The move comes after the FAPL pledged a fresh start in the battle against foreign satellite suppliers after being defeated in several high-profile court cases against licensees.
It is hoped the warnings will make it easier to prove 'dishonesty' which FAPL lawyers have found hard to prove in the past - leading to recent acquitals.
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Your CommentsTommy Stuart via email, 09/08/2006Why is it then that Sky can supply every country in Europe with cards. Will they limited the number of countries they can sell to ... I don't think so.
Kev Jackson via email, 100/08/2006Yet again another barrier for the publican to climb. So is Sky going to put these warnings on their cards - you know the ones that end up in bars in holdiay resorts abroad..yeah right.
David Pott, Market Inn, Faversham. via email, 10/08/2006All of us have AWPs that have signs that say for use of over 18s only...As we all know there is no law that prohibits under 18s using our AWPs; it is a trade standard but it is not the law.
What is the situation with Sky and Football? Sky and the FA say 'pay sky or you are breaking the law'.
EU law says that there is free broadcasting within the EU.
So if a pub buys a card from an EU country how can that be breaking the law?
DIRECTIVE 89/552/EEC "TELEVISION WITHOUT FRONTIERS" is law, Sky have yet to atempt to prove that football is exempt from this directive.
I would be happy to pay Sky on a pay per veiw basis based on the percentage area of my pub that can see TVs.
I am not happy for it to believe that the small area of my pub with sight of a TV gives it a right to a massive percentage of my weekly take.
