Stan Kroenke has bowed to public pressure after an intense backlash and has ordered his TV channel to remove blood sports content.

The majority shareholder at Arsenal had been attacked fiercely by fans, pundits, celebrities and the media after it was revealed My Outdoor TV would be showing big game hunting on an app in the UK.

Launching last week at the Game Fair in Hertfordshire, it was described as the ‘Netflix of the hunting world’.

“In the past few days, there has been significant public attention to a small portion of programming on our MyOutdoorTV app that contains content associated with hunting certain big game animals,” said Jim Liberatore, President and CEO of Outdoor Sportsman Group, the company which owns the channel.

“While many on both sides of this issue have made their voices heard, and this content is only available through paid subscriptions, Stan Kroenke has directed us to remove all content related to those animals in light of the public interest.”

It’s interesting that they are doing so ‘in light of the public interest’ and not in the interest of stopping the needless slaughter of animals so some rich people can get their dicks up.

Anyway…

“It is imperative that all stakeholders understand three facts,” continued Liberatore.

“First, Outdoor Sportsman Group properties operate independently from unrelated companies that our parent owns – as do all of the parent’s other business and sports interests.

“Arsenal Football Club has nothing to do with any of our media outlets. It has nothing to do with our content or the editorial decisions we make. We deserve no credit when an Arsenal striker scores a goal.

“Arsenal deserves no criticism when we offer a program with which some disagree. Second, we have made our content decisions independently of our parent company. Our parent had no input into these past decisions, and they have none now.

“All those who value the freedom of media outlets to set their own editorial courses should both recognise and respect this.

“We are grateful that our parent gives us this freedom. Even so, in this one instance, Mr Kroenke directed us to make the changes explained above.

“He has a decades-long track record of environmental stewardship, working with conservationists, hydrologists, microbiologists, and others to responsibly manage habitat and enhance wildlife preservation.

“We also take conservation seriously, and dedicate programming to this issue and to anti-poaching efforts specifically.

“Third, hunting and fishing enthusiasts turn to our programming because we serve their interests. They turn to our programming because we depict legal, fair-chase practices. [Not sure how human with gun v any animal = fair chase under any circumstances].

“We recognise our content is not for everyone, and we respect those alternative viewpoints. We want to thank our viewers and partners for their support, and we look forward to continuing our work with both hunting enthusiasts and conservationists.”