Premier League TV decision: what does it mean for you?
An EU court ruled it is not illegal for fans to buy decoder cards from foreign broadcasters – will it mean cheaper TV football?
Who won the case?
It's probably fair to describe it as a game of two halves: the European court of justice said it was against EU law to restrict customers to watching paid-for TV only through decoders bought in their home country, but said a pub landlady, Karen Murphy, could not continue to show games through a Greek channel on copyright grounds.
Is is good news or bad news for consumers?
If you're an individual who wants to watch paid-for TV in the comfort of your own home, you should be over the moon. You can now shop around across Europe, and the judgment says legislation which prohibits the import or sale of foreign decoder cards "is contrary to the freedom to provide services and cannot be justified", so you may one day be able to buy them in the UK.
That said, for the average household Sky still may not be too bad a deal. While it was considerably cheaper for Murphy to buy the Greek channel Nova to show in her pub, for individuals the channels charges roughly the same – Sky is advertising its sports package for Ł40 a month and movies for Ł46.25 a month; Nova is charging €52.20 (Ł44.71) a month for sports and €51.68 (Ł44.26) for movies.
Does this just apply to sport?
No. This potentially applies to all TV package deals, so if you're a film fan you may soon be able to shop around for the cheapest channel showing the latest Hollywood movies, or if you want the latest US TV shows you can see if they are cheaper from a foreign broadcaster.
However, Stephen Hornsby, a lawyer who specialises in European competition law, says it is not clear exactly how this will play out. "There is no intellectual property in a sporting event as such, but in a theatrical performance there is." He suggests copyright holders may still be able to restrict where their work is viewed. Even if you are allowed to buy these packages elsewhere, remember you will be subscribing to foreign TV channels, with any English-language films or shows dubbed or subtitled accordingly.
Can the broadcaster be anywhere in the world?
No, this is a European ruling and only applies to EU member states.
So how exactly do I shop around?
This is the tricky bit. Because of the way things have been until now, comparison sites are set up to compare the deals on sale from companies targeting the UK, not those operating in other European countries. Things might change, but for the minute you will need to do the legwork yourself.
Will I need new equipment?
Yes. If you are buying a card from a new broadcaster, you will need the right box in order to use it. This will of course add to the cost of switching.
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