Government minister to talk to Sky about pubs

A government minister has said that he will be talking to Sky and Setanta over the provision of live football matches for pubs, as some pubs are struggling to keep up with subscription fees at the moment.

The licensing minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, said that he will be doing all he can for the smaller pub, by at least talking to the providers about the current situation.

The reasoning behind this point is that pubs are closing down every week.

They need to offer their customers not just drink but also entertainment, but the amount of money that satellite providers are charging pubs is getting beyond what they can afford.

This means that customers do not go to the pub to watch the match, as they can get cheap drink from the supermarkets and watch Sky Sports or Setanta at home.