Man 'Fined £85,000 After Friend Streams Anthony Joshua Fight'

We've all heard the warnings about what might happen if we illegally broadcast pay-per-view events on something like Facebook Live. Now, boxing fan Craig Foster can confirm the threats are real.

The 34-year-old paid £19.95 to watch Anthony Joshua's fight against Wladimir Klitschko back in April of last year, and invited some friends around to his house to watch the bout and drink some beers.

It should have been a nice time. And it was at the time, presumably. But one of Craig's drunken friends allegedly picked up Craig's iPad and pointed it at the TV for a Facebook Live broadcast. At one point, 4,250 people were watching his broadcast.

Sky were able to track down the broadcast and link it to Craig after a watermark of his account number flashed up on his screen.

PA

Not only did the media company immediately cancel Craig's subscription, but they sent him an £85,000 demand for loss of revenue from pay-per-view - a fee of £20 per live viewer, reports the Mirror.

"I'd paid for the boxing, it wasn't like I was making any money," told the paper.

"My iPad was signed in to my Facebook account and my friend just started streaming the fight.

"I didn't think anything of it, then a few days later they cut my subscription.

"They're demanding the names and addresses of all my mates who were round that night but I'm not going to give them up. I said I'd take the rap."

PA

Craig, who lives in Scarborough, was reportedly ordered by Sky's law firm, Foot Anstey LLP, to pay £5,000 in legal costs or go to court for the full amount.

Craig said he was only given 24 hours to seek advice and agreed to the demand in a panic, but now plans to fight it in court.

"They're making an example of me," he said. "I know streaming the fight was wrong. I didn't stop my friend but I was watching the boxing. I'm just a bloke who had a few drinks with his friends.

"It's heavy-handed. I've apologised and told them we were drunk."

Neil Parkes from Foot Anstey told the Mirror: "Mr Foster broke the law. He has acknowledged his wrongdoing, apologised and signed a legally binding agreement to pay a sum of £5,000 to Sky."

Topics: SPORT, Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Wladimir Klitschko

Mischa Pearlmen

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]