Final warning on illegal satellite TV
Pubs face risk of prosecution after foreign channels write to licensees to clarify legal position
Licensees have been issued with a "final warning" that screening Premiership soccer in pubs using foreign TV station decoder cards is illegal.
The FA Premier League says there is now "absolute confirmation" that hosts have no right whatsoever to broadcast in the UK, after four foreign channels wrote letters to licensees stating the legal position.
Pubs that continue to screen the foreign broadcasts have been warned they face prosecution now it has become clear equipment suppliers have no right to sell the cards.
Media Protection Services, which prosecutes licensees
on behalf of the Premier League, said suppliers had been "conning" licensees into believing the cards were legal. "We are now releasing absolute confirmation that none of the suppliers and dealers which publish misleading information on their websites or try and hoodwink licensees have any rights to sell these cards in the UK," said litigation officer Ray Hoskin.
"What we now have is evidence from the horse's mouth that these cards are illegal in the UK. Suppliers are against the wall now and licensees should be left in no doubt that they have been misled by these companies," he added.
The MA has seen a letter released by IMG Media, a partner company of Arabic channel ART, confirming that it has no rights to broadcast outside the territory of North Africa. A similar message is carried in letters to licensees from Scandinavian channel Canal+, Greek SuperSport (also known as NOVA) and DigitAlb from Albania.
Hoskin said a number of prosecutions against licensees had been withdrawn because it had been evident that deception had been used by suppliers.
"In blunt terms licensees have been conned, but this statement by ART confirms the illegal status of their viewing cards and those of other foreign cards. The evidence supplied by ART also applies to all other foreign broadcaster cards," warned Hoskin. New issue viewing cards issued by foreign stations now include a warning about their validity outside the region of origin.
Last week, the Morning Advertiser revealed two Greene King pubs in Portsmouth had been showing closed period football. Greene King Pub Company boss Mark Angela said the two pubs had now desisted but added: "For the good of the pub sector, it's really important that the law is clarified and that Sky reviews its own arrangements with foreign suppliers."
North-west pubs first in line for spot checks
MPS has revealed that the north west of England is a "hotbed of activity" for illegal broadcasts of Premiership soccer. Pubs in the region look likely to be first in line for a new wave of spot checks by inspectors rooting out illicit Saturday afternoon broadcasts.
Hoskin said tenanted and leased pubs represented the vast majority of sites where the broadcasts took place. "There are seven Premiership clubs in the north west, which is influencing the scale of illegal activity," he revealed. Paul Howarth, retail director of Lancashire-based Daniel Thwaites, welcomed news that the legal grey area appeared to have cleared. "We withdrew these systems in our managed estate some years ago, but a number of our leased pubs have fallen foul of the authorities.
"My concern is that one licensee appeared to have been issued with equipment by a legitimate town-centre dealer. It's important that the legal position is made crystal clear."
