UK TV in Spain

[Roz]

Will we have to have our dishes realigned for the new satalite?

[satandpcguy]

Will we have to have our dishes realigned for the new satalite?

Normally nope.
It is going to the same location as the other 4 satellites that provide UK satellite TV, and will be parked in the same 100kmx100kmx100km "box" that the other 3 astra satellites are in, so no dish movements required.

[Roz]

Thanks

[markwilding]

The ipad app is only the start.In the next few months the international Iplayer should be availabe on other platforms.
Going back to earlier post if it's legal or not to watch UK TV outside the UK is open to debate and moves are afoot to look into current restriction of watching TV cross borders to see if companies like Sky can stop people outside the UK from subscribing.
I seem to remember In a recent court case someone was deemed not to have brokens the rule because they chose to subscribe from Greece.
We may see at some point in the future that we will be able to choose the company we want to subscibe to. Maybe something like Sky would offer pan european English content and Canal plus Spanish etc etc.

[Alhaurincraig]

The european court recently ruled that broadcasting restrictions are illegal. The case was brought by a UK bar owner who was showing live premier league football from an overseas broadcaster.

The court ruled that you can buy from whichever broadcaster you like regardless of where you live so at the moment it is no longer illegal to watch Sky in Spain.

[peteroldracer]

it is no longer illegal to watch Sky in Spain.

That is very different to a court ruling that BSkyB must accept subscriptions from Spain...it has always been in their Ts&Cs that the subscriber is resident in the UK - just as we expats are not eligible to enter phone-in competitions and the like.

[satandpcguy]

The european court recently ruled that broadcasting restrictions are illegal. The case was brought by a UK bar owner who was showing live premier league football from an overseas broadcaster.

The court ruled that you can buy from whichever broadcaster you like regardless of where you live so at the moment it is no longer illegal to watch Sky in Spain.

No.
There has been no ruling by the European Court to that effect - it may come later this year...they say

What you read was an EU Advocat General giving her non-legally binding opinion. And people mistook that to mean "what she says is legally binding" and what she said is law!

Even so, after the Eurocourt has given its findings, the case goes back to the UK Courts to preside over...then the appeals...by which time the next round of FA Premier League rights will be around...and that is before the USA studios get involved!

But if the ruling goes Mrs Murphys way, then it will mean all broadcasters (not just BBC, ITV, C4, Sky etc but all in Europe also, (and maybe book and news and magazine publishers also who restrict versions of their publications to certain countries) having to renegotiate ALL their contracts with programme makers and rights holders...a very long and complex issue when the lawyers for the Eurocourt say "the ruling may say go this way but there is no real practical way to sort it all out!

And anyway, the landlasy was using a Greek domestic subscription, where, if the ruling goes her way, then she would need a Greek commercial subscription...which would cost a lot more than her domestic subscription...so bizzarly she will actually lose money on the ruling!!!!

The main ruling is not about "you can use a sky card in Europe" but how the rights holders sell and distribute their rights around Europe.

[Alhaurincraig]

What you read was an EU Advocat General giving her non-legally binding opinion. And people mistook that to mean "what she says is legally binding" and what she said is law

I'll accept that Guy. Ok the law hasn't changed but at the moment it will be very hard for further individuals to be prosecuted. However we all know full well the system is not going to change long term. It won't be long before trading standards start raiding pubs & seizing their sat receivers again. The broadcasters (in particular the English premier league) make far too much money by dividing up the rights.

[peteroldracer]

I can almost hear the Victoria Wood character doing her survey...." Do you think heavy-handed protection of Sky income since the down-grading Rupert Murdoch is more likely or less likely.....?

[knowal]

It does make you wonder how these restrictive practices conform with the free European market.
It sounds like it is about to be remedied.

[markwilding]

I don't know if anyone on here who keeps an eye on these thing, as I do,has ever seen someone being prosecuted by SKY for subscribing outside the UK or Ireland.

I haven't and IMO it's because they would be on dangerous ground which may force them to change their terms and conditions At the moment all they do is cut you off.

Many people complain about the BBC but I believe they are taking the bull by the horns by offering their content abroad for a cost because the demand is quite clearly there and any company that doesn't offer it will be and are seeing people find ways of watching it anyway.

[El Cid]

I don't know if anyone on here who keeps an eye on these thing, as I do,has ever seen someone being prosecuted by SKY for subscribing outside the UK or Ireland.

Since it is not illegal to watch Sky outside the UK it is hardly likely that anyone could be prosecuted!

When you sign a Sky contract you agree not to use the card outside the UK. If you do then Sky have the right to terminate your contract.

It is a civil matter and they can't even sue you for breach of contract as the contract only gives them the right to cut you off.

Sid

[satandpcguy]

It does make you wonder how these restrictive practices conform with the free European market.

But then countries can opt in and opt out of Eu things...
If they dont like it they opt out...
if they think they can benefit they opt in...

the maastric treaty: i dont think ANY EU country has adpoted it 100% - there are so many caveats and opt outs...

so probably the same applied..countries can optin in or opt out of the "eu free market" as they see fit...

like the Euro...want it opt in, dont want it opt out...

[markwilding]

But this has nothing to do with countries except the fact they don't allow you to subscibe outside the borders they work in
I know News international has been operating as if the law doesn't apply to them but the fact is Companies cannot opt out of any law, European or not, nor would I want them to.

[El Cid]

But this has nothing to do with countries except the fact they don't allow you to subscibe outside the borders they work in

Sky could easily allow people to subscribe outside the UK - the problem is that they would have to pay a huge amount more to be able to show the programs. The Premiership in the UK would want double the fee and as a result the cost of the subs would go even higher.

It's a question of finding the right balance and Sky seem to have got it right. Apart from Sky News they are not pan-European broadcasters - that's their choice.

Saying that the EU should make sure that these broadcasts should not be limited to certain countries is a bit like forcing Barclays bank to open branches in every country!

Sid

[satandpcguy]

My point being countries can opt in and out of Eu law as they want to...
but companies cannot...????

take AVMS...supposably all countries should have adopted it a few years ago...
only a handul have adopted it 100%
a few others have implimented bits and peices of it (uk for example have impliemtent certain part of AVMS...hence now why you not get product placement, but other aspects are still not implimented!)
others still have it up for debate...as thre are a few more important thing like "no more currency " to discuss rather than a "TV directive!".

Suffice to say, if Ms Murphy wins, it will take alooooooong time to sort out all the "red tape" involved in makeing a single EU TV market.....hell even in the USA they cannot do it and all the serpareate states and counties all have seperate agreements, and one state can get a tv programem a few das before another!!!


But then, even if the EU does go Ms Murphys way, is there anything to stop the FA from only selling rights to UK broadcasters only...

Sky could easily allow people to subscribe outside the UK - the problem is that they would have to pay a huge amount more to be able to show the programs. The Premiership in the UK would want double the fee and as a result the cost of the subs would go even higher

Sky are only oneout of a fair number of broadcaster / rights holder...many companies that are part of the Sky subscription service are not part of Sky..."Sky subscription services" is only a "portal" to pay TV channels..
and this is where it gets compicated...where as Sky one could get pan european rights, Dave may not...so you would have to seperate the two in a subscription package...
like i said, it gets very messy...and will atke a long time before a true "pan eu broadcast system free of borders" is reality...


The EU may find the current method of rights distribution is "illegal" bt then it is probably the easieest to administer.

Otherwise you may well end up with just one or two paneuopean satellite broadcaters owning all there rights to everything...which the EU Monopolies arm ay not like..even though the legal arm says thats the way it must be....as usualy EU laws lefta nd right arm not tallking to one another....

[markwilding]

I suppose it's a case of watch this space and see how it pans out meanwhile this will come up time and time again in the forums