Two weeks ago Portsmouth pub owner Karen Murphy won a landmark victory in the European Court of Justice over SKY and the Premier League. The victory made it legal under the freedom to provide act, for Brady`s ‘Red White and Blue pub` to transmit cheaper coverage from the continent of the Premier League`s biggest matches. The significance of this case poses serious questions for SKY and could potentially challenge the monopoly it has over the coverage of arguably its most important asset, Premier League football. In the eyes of many, this toppling of Murdoch`s empire may seem a step forward for British football. However, is SKY`s monopoly such a bad thing? And will the cheapening of televised football be beneficial to the state of the British game?
Sky is the biggest investor in British football contributing millions each year as a result of its Premier League coverage. Through this funding the Premier League has been able to promulgate itself as the dominant competition in the world and in turn expanded its global appeal. This can only be a positive outcome for British football. Without the money of SKY, we may never have seen the likes of Henry, Zola or Drogba. The quality of the British Premier League is exemplified in the presence of British clubs in the latter stages of European competitions every season. Without the continuance of this level of funding by SKY, the standard of the Premier League would fall and British football would suffer as a result.
One of the main arguments against SKY`s monopoly is its discrepancy between coverage and funding of the Premier League compared with the Football League. Yet, if broadcasting was given to nations on the continent this gap would only get bigger. After the fall of ITV Digital, SKY bailed out the financially stricken Football League clubs with a substantial investment to buy their television rights. Now Sky invests over 254 million into the football league and televises nearly 70 of its games annually raising the profile and wealth of its 72 clubs. Alongside this there are regulations in place that prevent games being shown at 3 pm on a Saturday the period when the majority of lower league matches are attended. Britain`s lower leagues attendances are still relatively high when compared with the rest of Europe, with the Championship the fourth best supported European league. If games were to be shown through European broadcasters this would no longer be the case and attendances would drastically drop. The loss of SKY`s investment into the Football League would leave a major void in club`s finances and could lead to a new ‘ITV Digital` episode, but in this case there would be no other broadcaster prepared to bail the clubs out.
Finally, moving the television rights to the Continent would affect the way in which we enjoy televised football. We have all streamed matches on the internet where we have to experience the incomprehensible foreign commentary, where the pictures arrive five minutes after the incident has occurred and the half time analysis is non-existent. With SKY you are given a high class broadcaster that not only provides you with substantial coverage but also a team of ex- professional pundits that more often than not provide the viewer with a wider perspective of the game they are watching. In addition, non match day programmes such as Sky Sports News and Gillette Soccer Saturday which provide the football fan with the benefit of minute to minute updates on the latest comings and goings in the world of football. These are all key aspects in the way we enjoy football today with decrease in broadcast funding this level of coverage would decrease and severely alter the level to which we enjoy football today.
In the short term cheaper coverage will democratise football and lower the price of consumption for the consumer, which is in theory a positive thing. However, with the structure of football so reliant on funds from SKY`s money, the breakdown of a SKY monopoly would over the long term have wide sweeping and drastically detrimental effects on the state of British football. The monopoly of SKY is not necessary a good thing but in today`s football context the repercussions of losing it could be even worse.
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