Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons

Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons


Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

A judge overturned a conviction against a pub landlord who exploited a
loophole in the law by using the services of a television company
based in Greece.

The Union of European Football Associations had banned publicans from
screening Premiership football between 2.45pm and 5.15pm at the
request of the Football Association Premier League (FAPL).

Brian Gannon, 56, a licensee from Milnrow, near Rochdale, Greater
Manchester, was fined £1,500 under copyright laws and ordered to pay
more than £3,000 in costs for showing matches in the "closed period".
Mr Gannon appealed against the magistrates' court ruling, successfully
arguing that the ban only applied to services originating in
Britainand that there was no "dishonesty" involved because he paid for
the service.

More than 100 licensees are facing similar prosecutions and up to
3,000 pubs have similar satellite-television systems. The ruling by
Judge Robert Warnock at Bolton Crown Court could open the way for tens
of thousands of licensees to screen Premiership games on Saturday
afternoons.

Paul Dixon, Mr Gannon's lawyer, pointed out that while licensees could
pay between £300 and £2,000 a month to BSkyB, they could use foreign
services for about £500 a year. Mr Dixon said: "Prosecutions such as
this are being driven by the FAPL and Sky to protect their commercial
monopolies."

Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

A judge overturned a conviction against a pub landlord who exploited a
loophole in the law by using the services of a television company
based in Greece.

The Union of European Football Associations had banned publicans from
screening Premiership football between 2.45pm and 5.15pm at the
request of the Football Association Premier League (FAPL).

Brian Gannon, 56, a licensee from Milnrow, near Rochdale, Greater
Manchester, was fined £1,500 under copyright laws and ordered to pay
more than £3,000 in costs for showing matches in the "closed period".
Mr Gannon appealed against the magistrates' court ruling, successfully
arguing that the ban only applied to services originating in
Britainand that there was no "dishonesty" involved because he paid for
the service.
More than 100 licensees are facing similar prosecutions and up to
3,000 pubs have similar satellite-television systems. The ruling by
Judge Robert Warnock at Bolton Crown Court could open the way for tens
of thousands of licensees to screen Premiership games on Saturday
afternoons.

Paul Dixon, Mr Gannon's lawyer, pointed out that while licensees could
pay between £300 and £2,000 a month to BSkyB, they could use foreign
services for about £500 a year. Mr Dixon said: "Prosecutions such as
this are being driven by the FAPL and Sky to protect their commercial
monopolies."

Zorg wrote:
Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons


Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

A judge overturned a conviction against a pub landlord who exploited a
loophole in the law by using the services of a television company
based in Greece.

This will most certainly be appealed up to a higher court....

Gaz

On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:26:06 +0100, "Gaz" wrote:

Zorg wrote:
Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons


Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

A judge overturned a conviction against a pub landlord who exploited a
loophole in the law by using the services of a television company
based in Greece.

This will most certainly be appealed up to a higher court....

I am sure that it will but the interpretation of the law by a Crown Court judge
is more likely to be correct than that of unqualified amateur magistrates.

--
Nigel Barker
Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur

In uk.media.tv.sky on Wed, 12 Apr 2006, Zorg wrote :
Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons

Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

While I don't watch live football, it's always nice to see a big company
being taken down a peg or two.
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett

"Paul Hyett" wrote in message
...
In uk.media.tv.sky on Wed, 12 Apr 2006, Zorg wrote :
Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons

Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

While I don't watch live football, it's always nice to see a big company
being taken down a peg or two.

Its not Sky its the FA that dont want it shown.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

In article , Tumbleweed
writes

"Paul Hyett" wrote in message
...
In uk.media.tv.sky on Wed, 12 Apr 2006, Zorg wrote :
Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons

Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

While I don't watch live football, it's always nice to see a big company
being taken down a peg or two.

Its not Sky its the FA that dont want it shown.


I don't suppose Sky are happy about it either. I heard on the radio that
Sky charge pubs around £2000 a month to show sports and this guy was
getting the football from the Greek company for about £500 a YEAR.

--
Sean Black

"HVB" wrote in message
...

How would it be in the FA's interest to prevent pubs from showing live
matches on a Saturday? Just curious.

For the same reason they have done so since coverage of football began on TV
decades ago
To protect gate receipts at football grounds.
They fear that showing top Premiership matches live on TV on Saturday will
stop football fans going to live football matches in the lower divisions.

Loz

"HVB" wrote in message
...
How would it be in the FA's interest to prevent pubs from showing live
matches on a Saturday? Just curious.

For the same reason they have done so since coverage of football began on
TV
decades ago
To protect gate receipts at football grounds.
They fear that showing top Premiership matches live on TV on Saturday will
stop football fans going to live football matches in the lower divisions.

But they allow Sky to broadcast live matches to subscribers and/or PPV
customers? I don't get Sky Sports or Premiership Plus, so I don't
know what they show.

They don't broadcast live matches on Saturday afternoons.
Only Saturday lunchtimes and early Saturday evening when there are no other
matches on

Loz

In article , HVB
writes
On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:51:09 +0100, "loz" wrote:

"HVB" wrote in message
. ..

How would it be in the FA's interest to prevent pubs from showing live
matches on a Saturday? Just curious.

For the same reason they have done so since coverage of football began on TV
decades ago
To protect gate receipts at football grounds.
They fear that showing top Premiership matches live on TV on Saturday will
stop football fans going to live football matches in the lower divisions.

But they allow Sky to broadcast live matches to subscribers and/or PPV
customers? I don't get Sky Sports or Premiership Plus, so I don't
know what they show.

Sounds daft to me. The FA can get their money from Sky wherever the
matches are shown.

Last time I wanted to go to a football match, the response was "sorry,
season ticket holders only - and then if we have any tickets left
they'll be sold to fan club members before the general public." "Are
you likely to have any left after the season ticket holders and fan
club members have bought their tickets?" "No."

That may be the case with some Premiership clubs (I would suspect no
more than half) but not in the lower leagues.
--
Sean Black

"Sean Black" wrote in message
...
In article , Tumbleweed
writes

"Paul Hyett" wrote in message
...
In uk.media.tv.sky on Wed, 12 Apr 2006, Zorg wrote :
Pubs win the right to show football on Saturday afternoons

Pubs will be able to screen live Premiership football on Saturday
afternoons in defiance of Sky television bosses under a landmark Crown
Court judgment.

While I don't watch live football, it's always nice to see a big company
being taken down a peg or two.

Its not Sky its the FA that dont want it shown.


I don't suppose Sky are happy about it either. I heard on the radio that
Sky charge pubs around £2000 a month to show sports and this guy was
getting the football from the Greek company for about £500 a YEAR.


Its also very likely that the deal that the FA have with the greek company
specifically excludes that co from showing it outside of greece,and
certainly not in the UK, so I would expect them to be either shutting that
contract down or not renewing it iof there is a loophole that lets them show
it. SKy would have paid extra money to the FA for exclusivity.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com