SO SKY'S latest price hike is here. The 11 per cent rise is way above the inflation rate of just under four per cent. It has been slammed by licensees and trade bodies including the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), which says that it will hit small independent pubs the hardest. For yet another year, there is no denying that Sky has got the blood boiling in the veins of licensees around the country, who see it as exploiting a monopoly.
Yet the reality for pubs that want to show live Premier League football is that there is no legal alternative. It's either scrap your coverage or pay up. For those who choose to opt for the latter, the price rise means it is even more important to make the most out of the season.
The smoking ban is also set to play a role this year, with nobody knowing quite what effect it will have on the numbers watching live sport in pubs. A study for Sky by research group Ipsos Mori in June, however, found that 63 per cent of pub sports viewers said the smoking ban wouldn't make any difference to them going to the pub to watch a match. Nearly 20 per cent even said they would go more frequently.
The study also highlighted that 90 per cent of pub sports viewers go to watch the match in the pub to be with their friends and enjoy the atmosphere. More than 40 per cent said they went to the pub specifically to watch on a big screen.
Sky has the following advice for pubs on scoring with The Premier League this season.
Atmosphere
Create a food and drink offer in line with the sport you're showing. Why not promote speciality beers tied to individual teams - Newcastle Brown Ale for Newcastle, Cains for Liverpool, for example? For a more general football feel offer pies at half time.
Customers may also have more drinks during the match if they could avoid the half time crush at the bar. Some pubs have TVs over the bar so no-one misses the action while buying another drink, but if this isn't practical for you why not use ice buckets of bottled beer or pitchers so that customers can get the drinks in at the beginning of the match?
Spot the ball
There's nothing worse than going to the pub to watch a match and then not being able to get a good view of the screen. Check that your screen is sited in the right position, not so high it will cause neck strain but not too low so it will be obscured by other viewers. Also remember to position it away from natural light.
And don't forget the sound. Twenty per cent of respondents to the Ipsos survey said they wanted to listen to the commentary but couldn't hear it. Make sure your speakers are at the right volume so that your customers don't have to strain to listen.
Promotion
It's important that passing trade knows you will be showing the match, and if you have invested in Football+ (see box) make sure potential customers know about matches which they may not have subscribed to at home. Use banners and chalkboards which will let passing trade know what you will be showing.
Once they are inside, remind them when the next match is by displaying fixture posters. Check the back page of The Publican every week for fixture highlights or see Sky's Preview magazine.
What is Football+?
The Football+ package replaces PremPlus, which will no longer exist as a channel on Sky or any other service.This season is the first of a new three-year Premier League deal, which sees 92 matches live and exclusive on Sky Sports and 46 live and exclusive on the Setanta Sports Channel.
However, licensees don't need to take a separate subscription out with Setanta as it has sold in in-pub rights to Sky, which will be providing these matches to commercial premises directly as part of its Football+ package