Summary: Anto is joined once again with solicitor Daniel Geey of Field Fisher Waterhouse of London, an associate in the Competition and EU Regulatory Law Group. for a special episode that begins to break down and analyze the facts, the winners and losers and consider some of the potential unintended consequences that may find themselves raised in the months ahead from a regulatory and competition perspective. This includes the interdependent factors involved in this landmark Premier League broadcasting deal with BSkyB and BT beginning in 2013-14 and how technology and how consumers will engage with this technology may just be the gamechanger in this deal and amy soon send ripples all across the broadcasting landscape in Europe and why the BT partnership is so crucial in this regard. We examine the theoretical application of the process, not only from the angle of the Premier League clubs themselves in terms of distribution and fairness ratios, but also discuss how this new strategic partnership may, in fact, affect the lower leagues in England and the greater UEFA context and domestic cup competitions from a longer term view. But a constant theme beneath all of these factors is how the converge of traditional Pay TV models are converging rapidly with all forms of internet and wireless live and on demand services, essentially bridging a brave new world in terms of how consumers will access premium content. THere are also regulatory uncertainties involved here as well, including the lingering issue of territorial exclusivity without absolute protection, as outlined in the recent Murphy/QC Leisure case, as well as the operational increases that could be shifted to clubs in terms of revenue. Daniel always breaks down these regulations and the framework in very practical terms and helps break down the complexity with expert ease. Daniel Geey has experience in advising on Premier League, Football League and UEFA rule compliance and Premier League broadcasting issues. He also writes various articles for competition, media and sports law journals. These include The World Sports Law Report, The Entertainment Law, Sport Business, and The Entertainment and Sports Law Journal. An episode that reflects the evolving world sport broadcasting industry and how technology partners moving into play might just be the source of the biggest and most important unintended factors worth monitoring.
