Live sport to become ‘more affordable’ for pubs after landlady wins TV football fight

03-Oct-2011 - Last updated on 04-Oct-2011 at 11:07 GMT

The verdict could mean a major rethink by the Premier League of its current exclusive agreements with Sky Sports, which provides the League with most of its television income

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has suggested that live sport could now become more affordable for pubs, after landlady Karen Murphy has won a court battle over the use of a foreign TV decoder to screen football matches.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled against the Premier League, stating that pubs can now show matches via foreign television decoders. Murphy was initially ordered to pay almost £8,000 in fines after screening games at the Red, White and Blue pub via a Greek decoder card and foreign satellite suppliers.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds 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. The underlying driver of the problem has been the big price hikes that Sky have levied, with a 20 per cent rise last year alone. These have been a big drain on pubs.”

The verdict

In the judgement, published today, the ECJ ruled that 'national legislation which prohibits the import, sale or use of foreign decoder cards is contrary to the freedom to provide services and cannot be justified.'

Even if there was copyright protection for sporting events, banning the use of foreign decoder cards 'would go beyond what is necessary to ensure appropriate remuneration for the holders of the rights concerned,' the judges added.

The court also ruled that only parts of football broadcasts are copyright - such as the credits and the theme tune of the Premier League.