National Forum

Michael Duignan on Sky coverage and the GAA

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To KK1926:  "There's balance though Perfect10. You obviously have little to do with the older generation or as another poster pointed out realise there's no broadband in most of rural Ireland. The hurling and gaa heartlands.

Silly comparison again. Driving on motorways is something older people may not be able to do due to age, most of the same can enjoy a match on tv though.

Put your violin back in..i doubt you're able to play it."
i have plenty to do with rural ireland and my aging parents,i live in a gaa heartland and am active in my gaa club,training 2 underage teams.
regardless of the lack of broadband,they can get sky if they want it.
it is never any harm to see rte challenged on their nonsensical analysis,their tired coverage,cliche's,etc.and sky are just as entitled as rte to show gaa.it is not rtes game.rte didnt show the league and tg4 started doing so,should there be an english transaltion to help those who cant speak irish?
you are right about one thing,i cant play the violin nor have i ever tried.

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 10/07/2017 14:20:02    2014090

Link

it can often be cheaper to watch on sky than go to the game! bear in mind if you want to watch junior hurling or football you gotta pay to go in

understand the arguement though as to why its better free to air

janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 10/07/2017 14:32:57    2014103

Link

Replying To perfect10:  "i have plenty to do with rural ireland and my aging parents,i live in a gaa heartland and am active in my gaa club,training 2 underage teams.
regardless of the lack of broadband,they can get sky if they want it.
it is never any harm to see rte challenged on their nonsensical analysis,their tired coverage,cliche's,etc.and sky are just as entitled as rte to show gaa.it is not rtes game.rte didnt show the league and tg4 started doing so,should there be an english transaltion to help those who cant speak irish?
you are right about one thing,i cant play the violin nor have i ever tried."
Aging.. How old, there's a big difference between late 60s and 70s and what age mine are, late 80s and early 90s and confined to the house. No old person should have to leave their home or pay extra for a product that belongs to the community not just Croke Park. Many lifelong GAA supporters agree with Duignan's point and feel betrayed by the organisation. It's a disgrace that RTE have agreed an exclusive deal with any foreign channel for the rights of Irish GAA supporters to see their county play. I too stand on the sideline every week coaching youngsters. I am glad to do it. No payment is sought or received. There are thousands like me and thousands more who used to do it but are now too old to be actively involved. The GAA's rewards to these loyal supporters is to ask them to pay a foreign company money to watch some of the youngsters they may have coached in the past.

The GAA already get huge support in grant form from the taxpayers of Ireland so there is no reason why the games should not be available to the ordinary taxpayer/citizen.Why should any GAA supported 'have' to get Sky to see a match? What, pay €70 a month to see a few matches? There are men and women the length and breadth of the country, young and old, who played for their clubs and counties, making the GAA possible and now they have to pay to see their county or go to a pub. Thats gratitude for you...GAA style!! And what are the players getting from the whole deal??

KK1926 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 175 - 10/07/2017 14:39:48    2014114

Link

Replying To TomReilly:  "I don't think that's the point here. Whether Duignan himself has sky, or not, has no relevance to the matter, in my opinion. It's the principal that he or anyone shouldn't have to pay to watch our national sport, which is an amateur sport, in comparison to the lions match.
Perhaps the gaa should be doing more to ensure that a match like the KK v Waterford match is available free to watch on one of our national tv stations."
The amareur nature of our sport has absolutely nothing to do with it. It still costs money to run games whether it's an U10 friendly or an Inter County Championship match. For the big games you need policing, medical services, match officials, team expenses etc, you get the gist. I can never fathom how GAA supporters complain about giving money to the GAA yet many of those same people happily hand it over to othet sports

Sindar (Roscommon) - Posts: 348 - 10/07/2017 15:00:53    2014148

Link

Duignan has waited quite a while to publicly state his views in the Sky deal. Hard to believe it's not just the 'controversial moment time' on the Sunday Game.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 10/07/2017 15:22:11    2014176

Link

Well said Michael Duignan. The heartlessness displayed by the GAA hierarchy would do justice to Wall Street. As for being happy to pay to see other sports: I don't . I have never subscribed to Sly Sports.

Midleton (Cork) - Posts: 643 - 10/07/2017 15:29:19    2014183

Link

Replying To ziggy32001:  "he is 100% right and about time a pundit said it!

do we want to join the uk again? truely pathetic"
Irish ppl in the U.K. Would like to watch the games too .. if that's ok with you like!

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 10/07/2017 15:29:49    2014184

Link

Replying To KK1926:  "Aging.. How old, there's a big difference between late 60s and 70s and what age mine are, late 80s and early 90s and confined to the house. No old person should have to leave their home or pay extra for a product that belongs to the community not just Croke Park. Many lifelong GAA supporters agree with Duignan's point and feel betrayed by the organisation. It's a disgrace that RTE have agreed an exclusive deal with any foreign channel for the rights of Irish GAA supporters to see their county play. I too stand on the sideline every week coaching youngsters. I am glad to do it. No payment is sought or received. There are thousands like me and thousands more who used to do it but are now too old to be actively involved. The GAA's rewards to these loyal supporters is to ask them to pay a foreign company money to watch some of the youngsters they may have coached in the past.

The GAA already get huge support in grant form from the taxpayers of Ireland so there is no reason why the games should not be available to the ordinary taxpayer/citizen.Why should any GAA supported 'have' to get Sky to see a match? What, pay €70 a month to see a few matches? There are men and women the length and breadth of the country, young and old, who played for their clubs and counties, making the GAA possible and now they have to pay to see their county or go to a pub. Thats gratitude for you...GAA style!! And what are the players getting from the whole deal??"
You don't have an entitlement to free GAA into your home, should somebody going to the game get in for free in that case just because they are involved locally with the organisation?

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 10/07/2017 15:30:54    2014186

Link

Replying To KK1926:  "Aging.. How old, there's a big difference between late 60s and 70s and what age mine are, late 80s and early 90s and confined to the house. No old person should have to leave their home or pay extra for a product that belongs to the community not just Croke Park. Many lifelong GAA supporters agree with Duignan's point and feel betrayed by the organisation. It's a disgrace that RTE have agreed an exclusive deal with any foreign channel for the rights of Irish GAA supporters to see their county play. I too stand on the sideline every week coaching youngsters. I am glad to do it. No payment is sought or received. There are thousands like me and thousands more who used to do it but are now too old to be actively involved. The GAA's rewards to these loyal supporters is to ask them to pay a foreign company money to watch some of the youngsters they may have coached in the past.

The GAA already get huge support in grant form from the taxpayers of Ireland so there is no reason why the games should not be available to the ordinary taxpayer/citizen.Why should any GAA supported 'have' to get Sky to see a match? What, pay €70 a month to see a few matches? There are men and women the length and breadth of the country, young and old, who played for their clubs and counties, making the GAA possible and now they have to pay to see their county or go to a pub. Thats gratitude for you...GAA style!! And what are the players getting from the whole deal??"
rte have shown utter contempt for the gaa public over the years with a tired programme and the same pundits with the same clichéd analysis. Now they've got competition because of their complacency, half the time when games of other sports are on rte and sky up here the rte signal is blocked so you have to pay to watch. Haven't had sky tv for years because they also show contempt for the public by just hiking the prices which now can cost over a hundred quid for a full package multi room. Bought a amazon firestick, £40 went on youtube and followed the easy tutorial and doctored it for mobdro and kodi { though kodi is being blocked by sky at present } five mins later have all the channels bt sport, eir, sky sports, euro sport, espn, golf channel and any other sports channels from france, spain, Germany etc plus all the films and tv channels you could want.

bulmccabe (Tyrone) - Posts: 361 - 10/07/2017 15:39:10    2014198

Link

Replying To Pinkie:  "You don't have an entitlement to free GAA into your home, should somebody going to the game get in for free in that case just because they are involved locally with the organisation?"
I spent my younger years either going to Wexford games or listening to them ón the radio. The only live games sé got in black and white were the semi finals and finals very few of which Wexford were in. Funny how everyone has now become entitled to watch the games on TV.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1805 - 10/07/2017 15:51:05    2014207

Link

Replying To zinny:  "I spent my younger years either going to Wexford games or listening to them ón the radio. The only live games sé got in black and white were the semi finals and finals very few of which Wexford were in. Funny how everyone has now become entitled to watch the games on TV."
Good post. When I was a kid all that was live was the hurling and football semis and finals. Do RTE not show more live GAA games, between broadcast and/or player, than before GAA also sold rights to TV3 and then Sky?

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 10/07/2017 16:14:38    2014237

Link

No firesticks around the Banagher area of Offaly?

bricktop (Down) - Posts: 2503 - 10/07/2017 16:18:07    2014243

Link

Replying To Pinkie:  "You don't have an entitlement to free GAA into your home, should somebody going to the game get in for free in that case just because they are involved locally with the organisation?"
Tearintom, Pinkie and Perfect 10 are all Wexford posters in favour of the Sky deal. Perhaps you all have a problem with Michael Duignan for comments he made about dirty Wexford play against Dublin in the championship a few years ago than the content of his message.

No one is saying anything about entitlement but the GAA sold out it's older members to Sky.

KK1926 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 175 - 10/07/2017 16:35:05    2014262

Link

Replying To Pinkie:  "You don't have an entitlement to free GAA into your home, should somebody going to the game get in for free in that case just because they are involved locally with the organisation?"
That's not a fair comparison.

TV subscriptions get bought in blocks. You can't purchase 1 game on Sky you buy the package. You aren't just paying for Sport either, you're paying for the basic package plus sport. You may not get any value whatsoever out of the basic package yet your money is being used to pay for it.

That's the real scam behind pay to.

It's also been shown to adversely affect those from lower socioeconomic classes. The sky sports model also directly benefits from the money being spent in pubs, that's where the real money comes from and not subscriptions. So much for the GAA recent stance to not promote alcohol consumption.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 10/07/2017 16:42:26    2014268

Link

Replying To zinny:  "I spent my younger years either going to Wexford games or listening to them ón the radio. The only live games sé got in black and white were the semi finals and finals very few of which Wexford were in. Funny how everyone has now become entitled to watch the games on TV."
I hardly think it's a good example of false entitlement.

GAA matches have been widely available for over 20 years now and we live in a completely different world now to the 90s.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 10/07/2017 16:47:58    2014277

Link

Replying To KK1926:  "Tearintom, Pinkie and Perfect 10 are all Wexford posters in favour of the Sky deal. Perhaps you all have a problem with Michael Duignan for comments he made about dirty Wexford play against Dublin in the championship a few years ago than the content of his message.

No one is saying anything about entitlement but the GAA sold out it's older members to Sky."
Have to agree. Seems these posters have an agenda.

Laois76 (Laois) - Posts: 1270 - 10/07/2017 16:50:21    2014280

Link

Obviously there are legitimate arguments for both sides. The Cavan poster made an excellent point about Sky providing a service for fans outside of Ireland of which there would be thousands. Would it be possible for both RTE and Sky to show the same games so that people have a choice? - a bit like it used to be with FA cup finals (BBC,ITV). I don't think anyone should have to go to the pub to watch a game they have seen on terrestrial TV for so long, especially when it is our national game on the national broadcaster. An alternative could be for a local comuunity centre to put on the game where those who don't like pubs, could watch the game on Sky and also have an opportunity to socialise with friends and neighbours. It might be an option also for those who live alone in rural or isolated areas. People pay a TV license every year too and to pay extra for Sky TV is beyond the means of many people who not only know the price of things but also their value...there's always the trusted radio.

Sliotharyslope (Wexford) - Posts: 136 - 10/07/2017 16:57:11    2014287

Link

I'm not even sure that the Sky deal makes financial sense for the GAA.

People have a limited amount of money to spend on entertainment. If they're going down the pub and spending money on subscriptions, they'll have less money to spend on games. The money from Sky is not free, although it is offset by people spending less money on travel costs to games.

Another worry I'd have about the Sky deal is what happens if it no longer makes sense for Sky.

They don't have the current champions league rights. What happens when they are next bidding for those and have to find room in their budget. They could drop the GAA like a hot potato. Where would that leave the GAA in terms of trying to fund its various development projects?

As for providing GAA to an international audience, that was already being supplied for free before the Sky deal. That was GAA spin doctoring.

Viewing figures on Sky are way, way below what they were on non pay tv. That's not fantastic for the exposure of our games and may cause long term harm.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 10/07/2017 16:58:31    2014288

Link

Replying To KK1926:  "Tearintom, Pinkie and Perfect 10 are all Wexford posters in favour of the Sky deal. Perhaps you all have a problem with Michael Duignan for comments he made about dirty Wexford play against Dublin in the championship a few years ago than the content of his message.

No one is saying anything about entitlement but the GAA sold out it's older members to Sky."
I couldn't care less what duignan says or said in the last, what your missing is the point of the complete irony of his statement.

A person employed by RTÉ states on RTÉ that it's wrong that one of their rivals i.e. Sky have access to games meanwhile all the time the same person doing the complaining has sky himself.

And after watching duignan in his hey day again it's with a fair sense of irony hearing him talk about dirty play in hurling and condoning it.

I've never said I'm in favour of the deal, I've said it's been done to death on here. Duignan claims his father had no means of watching the game when he obviously did, that's the irony of the whole thing.

And you're saying nothing other than entitlement, actually your saying loads of things but addressing nothing. First off it's not any better in your opinion and ye went down the eye candy route Joe brolly did and ended up making a right tit of himself.

Secondly your saying yes we should all be entitled to see as many live games for free as we want, how is that not entitlement?

I would actually live to see all games free but it ain't, what's the point in whinging about it? Along with a lot of things in the gaa it's not right and it's about money. It's not right for Kilkenny to take football development money from Croke park but they still do for example.

What I do know having an awful lot of family in the uk who had to leave in the past they think the deal is great

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1338 - 10/07/2017 17:01:46    2014292

Link

Call me cynical but does anyone think micheals comments was said to deflect the attention away from the Brian cody incident ? We are all talking about the Sky deal instead of a manager putting his hands on an official.

Ben (None) - Posts: 101 - 10/07/2017 17:04:47    2014296

Link