New warning over satellite football

Licensees have been warned on the eve of the new Premiership season to be wary of satellite companies that claim to offer better deals than Sky.

John Chadwick, licensee of the the Arkwright Arms, in Sutton-cum-Duckmanton, Chesterfield, contacted the Publican after he was called by Sports World Satellite Installations.

The company offered a satellite package including Premiership football at a fraction of the price of Sky.

John said: "Seeing as Sky charges around £750 a month and Sports World quoted us £1,800 for the first year of use, and then £900 each respective year, it is pretty enticing I but did not know if it is legal to show these games in a public arena."

Sports World claims it is legal because its system supplies images from countries who have paid for the rights to broadcast Premier League matches rather than broadcasting Sky transmissions.

A Sports World spokesman said: "Everything we buy is legal and everything we sell is legal."

But Ray Hoskin, managing director of Media Protection Services, which investigates copyright breaches, said the trade was "being misled".

He said: "It is the licensee, not the supplier, who'll face prosecution. The (Premier League) season starts in a fortnight and we will be looking to switch off these illegal cards.

"Licensees may pay hundreds of pounds for these cards and never know when they are going to get switched off. And, since the suppliers of the foreign Premier League transmissions do not tell you which broadcaster is supplying the images, you can't call them to complain."

Court cases involving satellite equipment suppliers QC Leisure and AV Station and Portsmouth licensee Karen Murphy, who is appealing against a conviction for broadcasting foreign satellite football, were recently referred to the European courts.

The Premier League has vowed to carry on seeking prosecutions against those who broadcast foreign satellite football.