Punch licensees abandoning Sky

Licensees have been increasingly abandoning Sky TV, a survey of more than 4,000 Punch Taverns licensees has revealed.

The poll shows that between 2003 and 2007 the number of licensees without a Sky subscription leapt from 39 per cent to 66 per cent - meaning two thirds no longer had the service.

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, branded the rise "dramatic".

"It shows people cannot afford Sky any more," he said. "Sky has priced itself out of the market at a time when people are counting their pennies more."

However a spokeswoman for Sky said the figures bore "no relation" to what it was seeing across the marketplace. "Every licensee can choose the entertainment option that is right for their business," she said. "We are very confident in the quality and value of our product and continue to see growth in our business."

The Punch survey also revealed that when it comes to promoting their pubs, licensees are increasingly looking to advertise to their customers in their homes.

The percentage of licensees posting flyers to customers grew from two per cent in 2003 to 21 per cent in 2007.

Licensees are also using "special" days in the calendar more as a focus for marketing activity. Numbers using Valentines Day, St Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, Bonfire Night and Halloween all increased in the four-year period.

Geoff Brown, director marketing at Punch Taverns said: "This research is showing that people are increasing using pubs on special occasions.

"They go out less but want to spend more when they do go out. So it is important for licensees to target consumers on those special occasions when they will be really keen to go down the pub."