Just watched Brian Dobson "grill" Liam O'Neill on this on Six One News. He lead with the poor ordinary GAA people of Kilkenny & Offaly who won't be able to watch their championship game at home. Surely most of these will be at the match!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 01/04/2014 18:32:43    1568768

Why dont the GAA just be upfront and honest, this embarressing crapping on about the global reach etc etc it is a red herring, its a straight forward lie to make the medicine go down. I think they have now crossed a line so all hats are off, I believe the GPA are well within their rights to now demand a big financial cut off these particular games and I believe the grassroots will now support this, fair is fair? Players should now be rewarded (as much as it grieves me) if they are going to flog players endeavours these players must be rewarded. They've played footsie with their own aims they may as well play footsie with their ban on payments to players, or maybe the lads will go on strike!!

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4955 - 01/04/2014 18:34:23    1568770

01/04/2014 17:26:41
Marlon_JD
Frm where?wiziwig etc


01/04/2014 17:54:52
Dubfan Abroad
Yeah right,
We will just see what RTE will allow to be shown here in the states. Setanta has been ripping us off for years with their mandatory $20 per game at your local Irish pub or on the internet, I can see more of the same coming. tbf to setanta that charge was one of the few ways they could actually make a profit....

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 01/04/2014 18:34:39    1568771

Great news, more exposure for our national game and it means TV3 are off the case!!!!

ahsure. (Galway) - Posts: 1717 - 01/04/2014 18:37:01    1568774

I'm absolutely disgusted by this... My father can't make it to the games and now the GAA is forcing us to pay a sky subscription charge to watch a Monaghan match... totally totally unfair..... I can't express how angry I am..

Farney (Monaghan) - Posts: 819 - 01/04/2014 18:41:30    1568778

wayno

Cheers wayno, I just hope the detractors can approach this with a more open mind, today especially and probably for a couple of weeks there's undoubtedly going to be some very harsh words exchanged, many said in the heat of the moment but hopefully over time this will prove to be a good move.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 01/04/2014 18:49:56    1568785

A sad day for the association this. Why not give RTE 25 matches
and TV3 and TG4 15 matches each??

Ormond it is a slippery slope. They are effectively cutting
off 50%-60% of the population to access to viewing some games
for the sake of money. How selfish can you get??

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1706 - 01/04/2014 18:50:21    1568786

I'm happy with the news..SKY will bring GAA to a whole new market and lets be fair about RTE outside of the big matchs are only paying lip service to the GAA whereas SKY will bring GAA into millions of houses in the UK ....a very high percentage of people in IReland are sky sports subscribers as it stands but there will be people who don't have it but their sons or nephews i'm sure will have it to call over ..be like long ago..a family and neighbours could watch it together....

hurler32 (Limerick) - Posts: 871 - 01/04/2014 18:50:31    1568787

Whats the best way to go about getting sky sports? All I have is the basic saorview tv, no satellite dish or anything.

MarkMyWords (Meath) - Posts: 523 - 01/04/2014 18:51:42    1568788

More Grab All from the grab all association, I'd rather watch paint dry.

allSOran (Sligo) - Posts: 690 - 01/04/2014 18:52:30    1568789

Great day for the GAA, now people will get to see how GAA games should be promoted. Hype up the game that is what gets people to attend games.I predict the doubters will be pleasantly surprised by the SKY coverage.

Farney BBC N.I will show all the Ulster championship games

PJ Deery (UK) - Posts: 42 - 01/04/2014 18:54:56    1568793

See how we all feel when London are paying their players 300k a week and bating all round them for years to come!!!

Who are ya who are ya who are ya

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 01/04/2014 18:57:46    1568796

AthCliath
County: Dublin
Im picturing a father Ted and Dougal moment there Marlon,

I'm picturing something closer to Mitchell and Webbs 'Football, Football, Football' sketch

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 01/04/2014 19:04:53    1568800

Well, I'm happy now that the GAA have finally joined the digital age and launched an online service for those of us 'outside the island of Ireland', happy days indeed.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 01/04/2014 19:10:19    1568803

01/04/2014 18:41:30
Farney
I'm absolutely disgusted by this... My father can't make it to the games and now the GAA is forcing us to pay a sky subscription charge to watch a Monaghan match... totally totally unfair..... I can't express how angry I am.. ...GAA will benefit hugely from this..
01/04/2014 18:49:56
Htaem
Cheers wayno, I just hope the detractors can approach this with a more open mind, today especially and probably for a couple of weeks there's undoubtedly going to be some very harsh words exchanged, many said in the heat of the moment but hopefully over time this will prove to be a good move. +1. think this will prove to be an excellent move. well layed gaa bigwigs...
01/04/2014 18:50:21
REDANDBLACK30
A sad day for the association this. Why not give RTE 25 matches and TV3 and TG4 15 matches each??
Ormond it is a slippery slope. They are effectively cutting off 50%-60% of the population to access to viewing some games
for the sake of money. How selfish can you get?? can you not post across full page... easier to read.
this isnt a sad day at all for the gaa. The GAA Clearly feel they can get more money/exposure by doing things this way and presumably those channels didnt want it that way.
They are not cutting off over half of the population for sake of money. where is the proof that they are??

01/04/2014 18:51:42
MarkMyWords
Whats the best way to go about getting sky sports? All I have is the basic saorview tv, no satellite dish or anything. use online streaming sites... i watch loads of the rugby on sky on sites like wiziwig/cricfree. GAA games i presume will be streamed on sites like them
01/04/2014 18:52:30
allSOran
More Grab All from the grab all association, I'd rather watch paint dry.watch paint dry than??

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 01/04/2014 19:11:19    1568805

Here's an open-minded opinion as to the positives that might arise from the new tv deals:

Commercially- if the GAA can increase their take, it allows for further development, more coaches, ground improvements, etc, in fact I'd like the GAA to now prioritise astro pitches in strategic locations around the country- open to schools, clubs, counties. Running a big organisation requires forward commercial thinking.

Sky are getting the second-rate package, not the premium stuff that RTE are getting, so it's not as if punters the length and breath of the country are being deprived of a lot. Fans of counties will still go to games regardless of what is or isn't on tv.

Sky might very well up the ante in broadcasting terms on a scale that we haven't seen before. Personal opinion only here - TV3 were stinted and formulaic in what they did, presenters had to ask a set of quick questions regardless of what the analysts had to say, which wasn't much anyway! My favourite was the introduction of the possession stat to hurling, don't know which broadcaster that was, but it means absolutely nothing. Why not do something more insightful...and here's an idea....compile stats re score concession, in play or by conceding frees, compile stats re scores from play and direct assists....nobody is doing this?

Increased exposure can't be a bad thing and it's not just about Sky after all, Australia is in the mix. I think it's brilliant that Sky can broadcast the top games as well as RTE.

The GAA is not the grab-all association that guys stuck in the dark ages would have us believe...it is a huge Irish organisation that needs to be forward-thinking, needs to preserve cultural strands and needs to generate massive finance to provide for its activities. While never perfect, or far from, it is ahead of its 2 main rivals here, the FAI and IRFU, in many respects.

Finally, the GAA does take principled stands - not allowing alcohol-based sponsorship was a huge decision financially- taking away a large pool of potential sponsorship, not so much nationally but locally. Don't see that happening in Heineken Cup or Champions League territory.

Just a few random thoughts!

P.S. On a separate tangent- the Governmebt is dead right to provide finance to GAA causes, Ruislip or otherwise, for 2 reasons. It makes it back in spades in taxation, be it VAT or income tax. Secondly, the 2 games, particularly hurling (personal opinion again) are uniquely ours and deserve promotion as much as any aspect of our cultural identity. To be proud of, not resentful towards.

barrnasraide (Carlow) - Posts: 49 - 01/04/2014 19:23:27    1568815

What next Sky will be moving around fixtures?? Match times set for the convenience of Sky??Alas there is nothing that can be done about it now. Regrettable as it shows the GAA has truly lost its soul.

REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1706 - 01/04/2014 19:23:28    1568816

the real winner today for me has to be the publican... lots more people will be off 2 the pub to watch games this summer..

blueskies (Cavan) - Posts: 198 - 01/04/2014 19:28:39    1568819

let's get a few facts straight here.

1 The number of games on free to air goes down from 40 in 2013 to 31 in 2014, hardly earth shattering.

2 For the odd vitally important game exclusively on sky there are alternatives.
a) Go to the bloody game.
b) Go to the pub
c) Go to a friend's house
d) For the odd person in Ireland who doesn't have Sky, is barred from every pub in the area & has no friends there is always radio c coverage followed by highlights at night, a situation which was the norm up until recently

3 Sky will really force RTE to up it's game

4 Many thousands of Irish folk living in the UK will now have access to championship GAA action in their homes.

5 The superb spectacle that is football & especially hurling will be available to millions in the UK which can surely only be good for t the status of the association.

6 Last but not least there is the money!!!!!

Is it a perfect deal? No of course it isn't. Losing the 2 quarter finals is a blow, but considering the lengths my own county men went to get tickets for the AI final in 2012, surely a real supporter can find a pub somewhere to support his beloved county.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 01/04/2014 19:36:46    1568823

Very Very surprised with the GAA. Setanta had league matches but they were matches that RTE/TV3/TG4 weren't going to broadcast ( with a few exceptions) and it was only the league. This is different, this is championship and at poor as TV3 was at least it was free to air. Sure Sky Sports will hype it up and get more World coverage but is that what the GAA is about now?

The GAA's first loyalty should be to its memebers not to gaining more World coverage or more money. Many elderly people in rural Ireland will miss out on watching All Ireland quarter finals which I think is a disgrace. There are also many othere who can't afford Sky Sports. Also there are many who get rid of Sky Sports during the Summer as it terrible with endless hours of golf or rugby league (which is part of the reason Sky went for this I suspect)

The All Ireland will always be on terrestial tv but the Semi-finals don't have to be. Sky will not stop at 14 games, they are in it to win exclusive rights (apart from the All Irelands) of all games.

Sad day for the elderly/poor GAA fan.

county man (Limerick) - Posts: 1155 - 01/04/2014 19:39:30    1568827