Kerry chairman Pat O'Sullivan believes the GAA's historic deal with subscription channel Sky is a good thing.

For the next three years, 14 live championship matches will be broadcast exclusively from behind the Sky paywall. While this isn't ideal for those who don't have access to the satellite platform, O'Sullivan is confident that ultimately the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks:

"Our games are now going to get international exposure and can be watched by our emigrants; that, to me, outweighs other problems," he comments in The Irish Independent.

"The new deal will enable more people abroad to see our games. People in the UK are going to get 20 games live this year on Sky and in Europe, where our games are enjoying phenomenal growth and affords the GAA a new audience to showcase our games to.

"There was also an outcry when the deal was made with Setanta to screen some NFL games live on a pay-per-view basis. That proved to be a success and the furore about it has died down.

"People should allow the three-year cycle to pass and then review how things worked out. I think the kneejerk reactions of some will be seen to have been misguided and our games will have entered a new era of growth, both at home and internationally.

"I am all in favour for our members to get a just return for the work that they put in, but it must be remembered that the GAA has 400 overseas units. The majority of them are in Europe where the game is growing. This will increase the viewership and, as a result, the growth in our games will increase." Tweet

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