Pubs call for Sky investigation  
 
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Pubs call for Sky investigation
Pub landlords have called for a separate investigation into Sky's control over the market for pay-TV in licensed premises.
Licensees and landlords have used Ofcom's consultation into pay-TV to call for an enquiry into the cost of showing football in pubs.
 
The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers said regulators should consider the commercial viewing market separately from the competition for domestic retailers.
 
They claim there's no competition because Sky and Setanta will only sell a combined package to commercial premises.
 
They said: "We believe it will be vital on each consumer related issue – choice, price, value for money and quality of service - for OFCOM to undertake separate analysis of the domestic and commercial retail customer base. We are in the process of collating the views of commercial customers on these and other issues and will present the findings of this research to OFCOM shortly."
 
And 14 pub landlords have called for immediate curbs on Sky's practice of charging them based on the rateable value of their property.
 
They say this means a small village pub in the south can be charged more than a large pub in the north-east because of the difference in commercial property taxes.
 
The claims were made as responses to Ofcom's Pay TV Market investigation