Why Do Pub TVs Have A Pint Glass In The Corner?

Mystery Hour Question

When I watch football in the pub, why is there a pint glass in the bottom corner of the screen and why is it sometimes full, sometimes empty and sometimes in between?

Andy, London

Answer

**Definitive **

Name: Nathan

Qualification: Publican for 20 years

Answer: The subscription a pub needs to show Sky Sports is different to a usual home subscription - it's more expensive. Some landlords were simply getting a home subscription and showing it in their pub. So Sky added a pint glass on screen for pub subscriptions, so that inspectors could easily check. However, some scheming publicans were sticking pint glass stickers on their screens to make it look like they had the correct subscription. So the amount in the glass changes every day and the inspectors know exactly what to look for each day.