Illegal broadcaster fined £4k as Sky visits 700 pubs a week

Daniel Gear of The Sportsman in Dover was convicted of five offences of showing Sky Sports without a license. Sky has ramped up its pursuit of perpetrators this season, visiting 700 pubs a week to catch offenders.

The successful prosecution was carried out by The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).

Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager, FACT said “This case clearly shows that if a licensee shows Sky broadcasts in their premises by any other means than a Sky commercial viewing agreement they will be prosecuted. If convicted they can receive an unlimited fine and should expect to pay substantial legal costs. Additionally they risk having their Personal Licence suspended or revoked.”

The Sportsman was convicted of five offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable charge.

FACT said it shows its commitment to protecting those that pay for sports subscriptions.

Alison Dolan, Deputy Managing Director at Sky Business, said: “Illegal broadcasting without a valid subscription is damaging to the sector, and those licensees who choose to televise content in this way should be aware that they are at high risk of being caught and face substantial penalties.”

“We are committed to protecting the investment our customers make by supporting FACT's work against unauthorised venues as well as investigating suppliers”.

Any licensee affected by these issues can report suspected illegal broadcasting in confidence at https://business.sky.com/fighting-fraud/business​.