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pubs raided for showing live football on foreign tv channels

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  • 02-11-2006 12:21pm
    #1
    yiddo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 724 ✭✭✭


    Police in Blackburn, NW England, have raided four public houses and seized satellite equipment that was being used to show English football matches to customers using overseas satellite channels. In England and Scotland, it is illegal to screen live matches at 3 pm on Saturdays, the traditional time for live football, but the FA Premier League provides a picture feed from one of the games to TV stations outside the UK. It is easy for pubs to obtain the satellite equipment and viewing cards required. The Premier League is becoming increasingly proactive in chasing the offenders.

    This morning, police and trading standards officers accompanied by Media Protection Services (MPS), the company that operates on behalf of UK rights-holder BSkyB, raided 4 Blackburn pubs and seized foreign satellite cards and decoders. MPS had previously visited these pubs and warned licensees they were breaking the law.

    Dan Johnson, chief spokesman for the FA Premier League, said that along with MPS it would now look to prosecute the offending licensees. “This sends a clear message to the licensed trade that the use of foreign satellite systems is illegal and will not be tolerated,” he said. “We hope that other licensees will take heed and stop using these illegal systems, so it’s not necessary to pursue the prosecution of other publicans. We will also be using this evidence to target suppliers in the coming months.”

    A number of licensees have continued to show football via foreign satellite systems after prosecutions against licensees recently failed on the basis they did not know they were acting dishonestly. Suppliers of foreign satellite systems to the pub trade continue to claim they are operating within the law

    (Source: The Publican via Media Network)

    Hope it doesn't start happening here :eek:


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    #2
    Andrew 83
    Registered Users Posts: 1,044 ✭✭✭Andrew 83


    In England they're not allow show Saturday 3pm matches as it would damage attendances at lower league games. Maybe this is being pursued for similar reasons? If so it's unlikely to be conducted so much here?


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    #3
    yiddo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 724 ✭✭✭yiddo


    Andrew 83 wrote:
    In England they're not allow show Saturday 3pm matches as it would damage attendances at lower league games. Maybe this is being pursued for similar reasons? If so it's unlikely to be conducted so much here?

    Thats right but you can be sure that if they get control of the situtation there we'll be next :mad: .
    Can see the publicans of Ireland kicking up a hell of a fuss though! Here in Cork most of the pubs that show games live at 3pm on Saturday are jam packed. I assume its the same in the rest of the country? Twould knock a big hole in the publicans profits if it was stopped!


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    #4
    therecklessone
    Registered Users Posts: 17,213 ✭✭✭✭therecklessone


    yiddo wrote:
    Thats right but you can be sure that if they get control of the situtation there we'll be next :mad: .

    Can't see Sky bothering TBH, but maybe RTE/Setanta might pur pressure on the government?

    Reckon the publican's lobby is stronger than the broadcasters, so we should be safe for the moment...;)


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