BBPA welcomes ECJ judgment on cheap football coverage
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has welcomed a judgment from the European Court of Justice that selling broadcasting rights on a territorial basis breached EU law.
The case was launched by Portsmouth pub landlady Karen Murphy, who was fined for screening English Premier League matches via a Greek pat-TV decoder at 3pm on a Saturday.
Commenting on the ECJ judgment in the Karen Murphy case, Brigid Simmonds (pictured), British Beer & Pub Association chief executive, said: "At last, the end is now in sight to years of uncertainty surrounding this issue. The UK authorities should now very quickly clarify the position in UK law so pubs know exactly where they stand.
"Perhaps now, football will become more affordable for pubs, as live sport is a key ingredient of a great pub for millions of customers. The underlying driver of the problem has been the big price hikes that Sky have levied, with a 20% rise last year alone. These have been a big drain on pubs."
EU rules pubs and bars can show cheap foreign football coverage >>
By Neil Gerrard
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