Sky freezes price of sports packages
Sky has announced a price freeze on its sports packages which could provide a boost to licensees struggling to make ends meet.
Letters have been sent out to publicans across the country detailing Sky's sports services for next season - Sky Base and Sky Ultimate.
Pubs that take on the Base package - which includes Sky Sports 1, 2 and 3 - will pay the same price as last year.
Sky Ultimate replaces the Football + package, but licensees will be able to get the service for the same price.
They will pay for it over a 12-month period rather than the previous nine-month arrangement.
Ultimate includes a bigger range of channels such as Sky Sports Extra, Setanta Sports and Setanta Golf.
However those customers that took advantage of a price freeze in August 2007 - which was available to customers who also took up the Football + package - will now be brought in line with current payment structures.
A Sky spokeswoman said: "We recognise the licensed trade has been affected by the credit crunch, rising utility bills and the smoking ban. We have taken the decision to keep our prices unchanged following dialogue with our customers."
The move was welcomed by Adrian Caldwell, licensee of the Cock & Pye in Ipswich, Suffolk.
He said: "They seem to have chilled out a bit don't they.
"Sky have always put their prices up every year so they are probably recognising current difficult trading conditions and I think this will be a great boost to my pub."
He said he would opt for the Ultimate package and expected to pay around £1,400 per month.
"It is still expensive but it is important to my pub and the freeze on prices is welcome," he added.
As well as the price freeze Sky is offering pubs a second viewing card for free.
This means licensees will be able to broadcast two events at once such as on September 20 which will be the final day of the Ryder Cup and the Chelsea v Manchester United fixture.
