Several pub chains are to complain to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) following Sky's decision to raise TV subscription prices by up to 22%.

The broadcaster has increased the price for pubs and bars wanting to show live Premiership football, a move which, in some cases, has sent subscription costs above £1,000 / month.

Scottish & Newcastle, which has 1,450 pubs, said: "These new price rises mean that it can be more economically viable to provide live entertainment rather than show a match."

Francis Patton, commercial director of the Punch Pub Company, a chain which has over 4,500 pubs, agreed: "We find it appalling. Sky's popularity was created by the pubs market and yet now it is creating a stranglehold on the sector."

A spokesman for Sky told This Is Money that the subscription represented good value for money. "Sky invests a huge amount in its programming and it is extremely good value," he said. "And there are many other forms of entertainment that pubs can offer."