ALMR slams Sky's rocketing costs
Pubs taking Sky are paying 463% more for subscriptions than in 1996, according to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), which this week delivered a briefing on pay-TV to MPs.
Over the same period, the TV licence fee has increased by 57%, and the price of a pint by 61%. "If lager had risen at the same rate since 1996, when Sky began in pubs, we'd be paying more than £9 a pint," said the ALMR.
The group calculates that a pub has to sell 25,000 extra pints in a season to cover the cost of the average £15,000 subscription paid by ALMR members. The typical pub needs to sell an average of 272 extra pints per match — worth around £760 — to cover the subscription, according to the ALMR.
Addressing politicians this week, ALMR chief executive Nick Bish said: "Sky has exploited its monopoly position in the commercial sector to impose enormous increases on pubs. We estimate that Sky now generates £340m annually from pub subscriptions, covering the majority of its £433m outlay on Premiership TV rights.
"If Sky continues unchecked, more and more pubs will be faced with the stark choice of pulling the plug or passing on costs in uncompetitive beer prices."
Cougar Leisure chief executive Julian Sargeson said: "Sky is a fantastic product, but 10 years of inflation-busting rises is too much to bear. I haven't renewed my subscription in a quarter of my outlets."
ALMR head of communications Kate Nicholls commented: "We have been encouraged by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport's (DCMS) recent pledges to address football's increasing detachment from ordinary fans.
"The chance to watch big games in pubs is a big part of that and we have written to the DCMS calling on Government to act to protect it."
