Scottish pubs angry at football costs

net1

Scottish pub-goers could be crying into their McKewans over a growing dispute concerning the coverage of Scottish Premier League football. This season the SPL has sold the live rights to its matches to Setanta Sports who will be screening the games on its eponymous pay channel. There is already concern that domestic subscribers could fall short of the 89,000 target. Last season SPL games were covered in Scotland by the BBC. Pubs are crying foul over an average 18% increase in charges by Setanta’s commercial distributor Sky. The dispute has a familiar ring to it; innkeepers south of the border have long protested at Sky’s commercial charges. However, Sky insists there is no connection between its charges and the SPL’s move to Setenta, the price increases have been well publicised and Setanta is actually offered as a bonus channel.