01/04/2014 19:58:04 Htaem
KingdomBoy1, To be honest I think you're just pushing the panic button a little bit KingdomBoy1, I can't see Sky taking over every Gaa game, for a start I thought by law the AI finals have to be free to air, could be wrong though. But that aside, the only way Sky would get the full package is if their coverage turned out to be a landslide success, which in itself would be great but I can't see that happening really.
Let's again just wait and see, hopefully Sky will a good job and force RTE to up their game, but again I still think that RTE will be the main broadcaster of our games for years to come, that't how I see it at the minute anyway. Yes through state intervention certain sporting events including all Ireland finals must be free to air. agree with the rest. this will make rte up their workload/performance

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 01/04/2014 21:07:56    1568903

01/04/2014 20:18:37
DUALSUPPORT
I see professionalism and semi pro coming into the GAA now because the GPA and Players will want there cut too, why should the suits pocket all the money from this deal. Not really. How can you say that? If GAA stick to their principles and no reason why they wont you wont be seeing professionalism come in as a result of this deal
And if professionalism came in would it be the worst thing in the world?

01/04/2014 20:27:13
legendzxix
Sky will get more coverage in the years to come. RTÉ coverage will eventually return to that of an era where their only live games were AI semi-finals and AI finals. Match of the Day like, The Sunday Game highlights will remain.
By the sounds of things some people might need to get re-accustomed to radio commentary. Many of the games handed to Sky seem the type where people have stayed at home to watch on tv than go to the games. No RTE wont. Where do you get that idea... They will always show the majority of hurling/gaelic games

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 01/04/2014 21:12:27    1568909

Great move, great exposure.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7902 - 01/04/2014 21:16:52    1568913

Ormonde, I know quite a lot of people where I'm from who don't have Sky Sports and I'd say that would be typical of rural Ireland. Many people wouldn't be able to afford sky sports first off. Then there are the older people wouldn't even know how to subscribe or even how to use Sky sports. Trust me, many were perplexed when tv went digital and they only had to get saorview boxes!

county man (Limerick) - Posts: 1102 - 01/04/2014 21:17:24    1568914

jimbodub
County: Dublin
Let's hope they can afford the subscription in the UK

Exactly. The Australian deal sounds great, 45 matches free-to-air, that's how you provide access to the games for emigrants, and give exposure to the games to the wider viewing public. Could this not have been attempted in Britain? Would having the games on any one of the free-to-air channels in the UK not be better for the diaspora, and given exposure to the games to the wider British viewing public, and not just restricted to those with a Sky subscription?

Clearly I'm swimming against the tide on this thread, its a pro-Sky crowd, so I won't go on. I'd just prefer it if the GAA were honest about the reasons for the deal, instead of cynically using the diaspora as an excuse. I find it difficult to believe the financial benefit to the GAA from this deal is marginal, compared to the previous ones.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 01/04/2014 21:18:20    1568916

The vast majority of people who will bitch about this are the armchair "supporters" who if they won't support their county team certainly don't support their club team. They won't even go to the pub in case they have to buy a pint!!!

I'm sorry but these are the very people who drive the GAA to do deals with the likes of SKY because the grounds are mostly empty for most of the year & even AI QF double headers can't fill Croke Park.

Get up off your behinds & go to the games, fill the grounds & then there will be no need to go cap in hand to SKY.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 01/04/2014 21:21:41    1568920

Well we will find out how much they benefit from it in the annual accounts but I personally feel that they are doing this for marketing reasons. I mean there may never be such an oppurtunity to break into the British market as this and it would be a shame if they let it slip by. Alson I don't think it would have been realistic for GAA to be on free to air in Britain. Do you really think BBC or ITV would give up valuable time slots to GAA on Saturday nights which would more than likely give less then average viewing figures.Just not commercially viable and I think SKY will market this properly to the British audience like they have done on many similar occasions with the likes of Darts and the Heineken Cup!!

lukewalsh96 (Cork) - Posts: 252 - 01/04/2014 21:32:17    1568931

Its pure BS from the GAA they need to be straight up, this nonsense its not the money!! Its for the global reach blah blah blah straight out the McKenna school of b******t. As I say, never thought I say it, once our games get peddled in this way players MUST get a cut out of the games. If fans are expected to pay for view, spectators expected to pay through the nose then the GAA have to fork out and pay for play. But McKenna and Co want this both ways and they will find the real world doesn't work quite like that. Slavery was abolished in the early 1800's. I can hear already the sound of agents limo's dashing up and down the country.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 01/04/2014 21:32:23    1568932

I'm in favour of it, they will bring a great deal of professionalism to it,

i generally don't get seeing Saturday evening games anyway, as i either involved with underage or refereeing

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1676 - 01/04/2014 21:35:10    1568937

So Sky UK will now dictate where and when GAA matches are played. Sickening decision by the mercenaries in suits just looking to feed at the trough

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4624 - 01/04/2014 21:37:36    1568941

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 2282

1568920
The vast majority of people who will bitch about this are the armchair "supporters" who if they won't support their county team certainly don't support their club team. They won't even go to the pub in case they have to buy a pint!!!

I'm sorry but these are the very people who drive the GAA to do deals with the likes of SKY because the grounds are mostly empty for most of the year & even AI QF double headers can't fill Croke Park.

Get up off your behinds & go to the games, fill the grounds & then there will be no need to go cap in hand to SKY.

That's an awful pile of nonsense in fairness to you now Muckross. Plenty of active members of the GAA would rather that they didn't have to pay extra (on top of what they already pay) in order to watch the games.

Having to pay extra to watch the Championship doesn't bother you, fair enough, but don't pretend and insinuate that not being delighted by this deal makes others less of a GAA person than you or inferior to you as you've done above.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 01/04/2014 21:40:52    1568947

Muckrosshead
I'm one of the ones bitching bout this deal, and me and my family are season ticket holders we only missed one game this season and that was the semi of the McGrath cup, we've been to both our club games so far, so that's bull s**t mate ,I'm talking bout the poor old people who can't go to games any more who are all ready isolated from society how is this fair on them? They have given so much go the GAA will the GAA now go and pay these old peoples sky subscription ?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 01/04/2014 21:44:23    1568951

Wicklow on Sky box office ??????????

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2897 - 01/04/2014 21:44:28    1568952

Muckrosshead
I'm one of the ones bitching bout this deal, and me and my family are season ticket holders we only missed one game this season and that was the semi of the McGrath cup, we've been to both our club games so far, so that's bull s**t mate ,I'm talking bout the poor old people who can't go to games any more who are all ready isolated from society how is this fair on them? They have given so much go the GAA will the GAA now go and pay these old peoples sky subscription ?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 01/04/2014 21:45:42    1568954

It is a sad day for the gaa for a number of reasons, i see people banging on about the extra exposure which is true in other countries but in Ireland less games will be shown on free to air irish stations even more of a reduction on English speaking free to air irish stations. Its means kids will see less games here in Ireland where the heart of gaa is. I see where some people suggest kids going to pubs, this is the same attitude where if a team win a under 12 final it is straight back to the local pub, then clubs wonder why these players when the turn 16 wont turn up for training on a sunday morning. There was talk before this deal was done there were leaks about sky games been shown on tg4 and talk of extra money for clubs this was just softening the ground for the deal. Liam O'Neill was very poor in his interviews today not for the first time. The roots of the gaa is in local communities up and down the country this seems to be have forgotten about in this deal. Sky already get something like 48% of the irish advertising revenue, this will now increase and sky have not bothered spending this money making tv shows in Ireland. Which will mean lower budgets for rte and tv3. It is also sad to see the Saturday night league games been shown on Setenta, the gaa are missing out on a major marketing opportunity for the league live on a free to air tv station. There is a recession ongoing on this country which seems to be forgotten on here.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 01/04/2014 21:48:14    1568956

well said KingdomBoy.

But people will probably turn around and say the elderly can download the Sky app on their mobiles...and really mean it !!

county man (Limerick) - Posts: 1102 - 01/04/2014 21:52:42    1568966

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 2282

I couldn't disagree more, the armchair supporter is the ONLY consideration here. GAA never gave tuppence to anybody but themselves, how much does McKenna earn? Go on take a stab? 400K? 500K you think hes worth that? you think it is OK this guy can look at players in the face and say "its all for the glory lads?".I tell you MuckrossHead they have opened a door they will regret.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 01/04/2014 21:56:02    1568970

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
The vast majority of people who will bitch about this are the armchair "supporters" who if they won't support their county team certainly don't support their club team. They won't even go to the pub in case they have to buy a pint!!!
I'm sorry but these are the very people who drive the GAA to do deals with the likes of SKY because the grounds are mostly empty for most of the year & even AI QF double headers can't fill Croke Park.
Get up off your behinds & go to the games, fill the grounds & then there will be no need to go cap in hand to SKY.

What a load of rubbish. I've spent a lifetime travelling to matches, playing matches, training kids for matches, and I'm one of those whinging about the deal. The 'whingers' have given good reasons why this deal isn't the greatest deal ever done, try addressing those concerns instead of talking tripe

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 01/04/2014 21:57:02    1568972

Come on guys read the original post.
The term I used was the "vast majority". If the cap doesn't fit then don't wear it.
I have been following this story on different platforms yesterday & some of the silly guff from people who obviously have no understanding of the GAA has to be seen to be believed.
No way was I getting at people on here & I apologise if I came across that way.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 02/04/2014 08:10:30    1568978

I bet this is the same kind of debate on soccer forums when sky got rights to the premier league in England, on darts forums when sky got rights to the pdc or on rugby foruns when they got the rights to the Heineken cup. They all worked out brilliant for the organisation involved. I know the argument can be made they are professional games but every sport sky touches just gets bigger and better.

I do understand the argument that some people may lose out on some matches. It will be a minority however and it is only 9 live matches. In all the cases I quoted sky got exclusive rights so it is not like the gaa are leaving people with no football.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the gaa to grow the sport not just to ex pats abroad but to a whole new audience. Sky package their sports to bring in new viewers all times. They are amazing at it. They somehow have even managed to make the cricket world cup on at the minute appealing. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but the gaa could not miss out on this fantastic opportunity just to ensure a small minority get to view 8 extra matches.

I can not wait to see sky's first gaa advert. You know it will be amazing or more people than ever before will be interested in our great game.

Makaay07 (Louth) - Posts: 2 - 02/04/2014 08:15:44    1568979