'One in four pubs pull out of Sky deals'

According to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), a quarter of UK pubs have cancelled their Sky subscription. Sky generates an average of £9,000 from each of its 40,000 commercial subscriptions, which provides all but £50m of the £433m Sky currently pay each year to the premier League. The League is confident revenue from the next three-year broadcast deal will at least match the current £2.725bn but the lukewarm reaction of pubs towards the renewal of subscriptions could put pressure on these sums - The Guardian​

Punch Tavern's shares fell further after it reported a loss of profits in its leased estate. Like-for-like profits in leased pubs fell 12 per cent in the first 20 weeks of the year. But the pubco said it was still confident of the longer-term prospects for the company and the sector - The Financial Times​

The UK has become the world's largest importer of wine with Australian brands proving more popular among Britons than French or American imports. But the industry has not escaped the effects of the economic downturn as sales dropped by more than 3.5% in the first nine months of 2008, largely due to falling sales in pubs. - BBC​

Marston's has confirmed it is extending its debt facility by three years until August 2013. The refinancing, which had been agreed last month is expected to remove any continuing uncertainty over future dividend payments, subject to future trading - The Times​

Pubs are warned to be vigilant as the downturn leads to a surge in robberies, Suggested improvements include investing in a new safe and updating cameras with alarms -The Telegraph​