Committee backs Premier League in fight against Portsmouth landlady screening live games

By David Gold at Westminster in London

July 29 – The Culture, Media and Sport Select committee have urged the Government to use its influence to prevent the European Court of Justice ruling in favour of Karen Murphy (pictured), a Portsmouth landlady, who wants to retain her right to broadcast Premier League football in her pub through a Greek satellite decoder.

Murphy was fined for her actions but took her case to the European Court of Justice, whose preliminary opinion of the case, delivered by Juliane Kokott, suggested that Murphy could continue to show the matches.

If the European Court of Justice rules in Murphy’s favour when they make a formal ruling on the issue, proprietors would be free to use whichever satellite decoders give them the cheapest footage of Premier League football.

This would have a significant impact on the finances of the Premier League and its clubs, who are increasingly reliant upon the £1 billion ($1.6 billion/€1.1 billion) plus revenue they take from TV rights sales each season.

The Committee say in their report that they “urge the Government to use all its influence within the European Union to retain the territorial selling of overseas rights”.

The concern of the Committee rests largely on the impact it could have on teams lower down the English football ladder.

Greg Clarke, the Football League chairman, said in evidence given to the inquiry that smaller teams in the lower leagues could struggle to get fans through their turnstiles if pubs around the corner could use cheap decoders to show Premier League football.

“Given our interest in the sustainability of the game, we give considerable weight to the concerns of the Football League,” the report says.

A final ruling on the issue is expected later this year.

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