The owner of a Sunderland city centre bar has been fined nearly £10,000 after he was caught illegally broadcasting football matches.
Kenneth Craigs, who was listed in court documents as the licensee of Cleo’s Bar, 16 Park Lane, Sunderland, was found guilty in his absence of two offences related to the ‘dishonest broadcast of Sky televised programming’.
Craigs televised Sky Sports football matches on April 7 and May 5 2024 ‘with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable commercial subscription charge’.
What this means is that he used an individual, private subscription plan to broadcast the matches to the bar, when the service demands a higher, much more expensive, subscription plan for pubs.
Such cases are common throughout the United Kingdom as bar and pub owners face growing running costs and struggle to get customers due to the general decline of pubs in Britain.
One should interpret this case as a private civil prosecution than a criminal matter, strictly speaking.
Premiership matches taking place on April 7 included Manchester vs Liverpool, Sheffield United vs Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest.
May 5 saw Brighton take on Aston Villa, Chelsea vs West Ham, and Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Sky Sports is only available to licensed premises in the UK via a commercial viewing agreement from Sky Business.
Craigs, the designated premises supervisor of Cleo’s Bar, was ordered to pay total fines and costs of £9,400.
FACT – the Federation Against Copyright Theft – brought the criminal prosecution at South Tyneside Magistrates Court.
The agency warned any business premises showing Sky broadcasts without a commercial viewing agreement risk similar action, and could also face legal action in civil courts.
Kieron Sharp, chief executive at FACT, said: “This verdict underscores FACT’s commitment to protecting the interests of our broadcast partners.
“By taking action against those who engage in fraudulent practices and unlawfully broadcast Sky content, FACT aim to create a strong deterrent for other licence holders who might consider similar actions”.
Sara Stewart, Head of Compliance (Commercial Anti-Piracy), Sky Business, added: “Now more than ever it’s important to protect the investment of our customers. Businesses that show Sky Sports illegally can leave our legitimate Sky subscribers feeling short-changed.