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Crackdown begins on soccer broadcasts

GLASGOW, Scotland, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Soccer and television executives began an assault on the illegal broadcast of major games in pubs across Scotland.

Investigators from major television bureaus and the Scottish Premier League estimate that nearly half of all pubs broadcasting games are doing so illegally, Scotland on Sunday reports.

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Watchdogs for Sky TV found a “significant number” of pubs skirting the $30,000 fee for broadcasting soccer games in local pubs by using foreign satellite feeds or Internet simulcasts.

“We have worked on this issue of illegal reception in pubs and clubs for some time, and we have people out and about every week, monitoring pubs and collecting information,” a spokesman for the Scottish Premier League said.

It is estimated that the pirating amounts to nearly $6 million in lost revenue per year.

Pub owners caught violating the rules may face legal action or substantial fines if they continue to broadcast games illegally, said Scotland on Sunday.

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