He didn't have a choice but to watch it on Sky and he wished he could have the RTE coverage. I think that says it all..

I didn't have a choice either and was forced to watch it on RTE, if I did I would have watched it on SKY..does that say it all?

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1956 - 23/09/2014 14:35:32    1655996

no point arguing with those who are clearly entrenched in their bias and will try and put whatever spin there is on any positive news

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 23/09/2014 14:41:47    1656001

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 576

1656001
no point arguing with those who are clearly entrenched in their bias and will try and put whatever spin there is on any positive news

so what's the positive news fabio ?

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5520 - 23/09/2014 15:11:01    1656031

the recent great hurling viewership for one was very positive

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 23/09/2014 15:21:42    1656042

It would be great if a number of people could review both and give their opinion. I watched all of Skys programme on Sunday and it can make difficult viewing at times. The 2 presenters have to read quite a bit from their clipboards, giving the impression they are not entirely comfortable with what they are supposed to speak about. Canavan is obviously very knowledgable and has a great passion for the game but as he is speaking to Carney much of the time he is restricted in trying to develop the finer points. I suppose Sky is more about analysing events while RTE is more about discussing events, though any analysis on RTE is at least the equal of Skys. I personally much prefer the RTE approach, sport is supposed to be about debate and opinions and it should be fun - Sky provides little of any of these 3 things. I only saw a 3 minute clip of Brolly and Whelan talking at half-time Sunday and it was far more interesting than anything on Sky.
However the key thing is that Sky is bringing the game to a wider audience so that is its major advantage and why this 3 year experiment is worthwhile.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 23/09/2014 15:53:56    1656074

was at match soma on sunday so cant comment but sky have been decent enough for the most part and have improved as the year has gone on...brolly very good on rte when he doesnt get involved in fights with the others which unfortunately happens too often these days and donal og is obviously brilliant and probably the best gaa pundit out there

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 23/09/2014 16:00:28    1656081

zinny
County: Wexford
I didn't have a choice either and was forced to watch it on RTE, if I did I would have watched it on SKY..does that say it all?

Yep. It says its lucky the game was on RTE, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to see it at all. I'm presuming if you were "forced" to watch it on RTE, you don't have access to Sky? Alot of people here feel your pain...

Soma
County: UK
It would be great if a number of people could review both and give their opinion.

I've watched both. I think when you're analyzing the coverage, there's a big difference beteen football and hurling coverage. I can understand people's appreciation for the football coverage on Sky. In a technical sense, I don't think its any better. But when it comes to analysis, I think people are a bit sick of the circus that RTE's football analysis can descend into, especially when the criticism of players gets over personal. Its all subjective, alot of people like RTE's coverage, but alot of people genuinely seem to enjoy the less hysterical football analysis on Sky, and I can see where they're coming from.

As for the hurling, that's different, I personally think RTE's coverage is miles ahead. The technical aspects of their coverage are better for me, the analysis and presentation are better. Sky's hurling coverage seemed more contrived, more wooden, kind of flat. To me at least. To be fair, RTE have 50 years of experience, this is Sky's first foray. But when it comes to the hurling, I find RTE's coverage to be, while not perfect, much better. Football, not so much.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 23/09/2014 21:47:31    1656339

I am getting a copy of the SKY coverage tomorrow and I will have a look (without prejudice). i will give a comparison.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5520 - 23/09/2014 22:00:51    1656349

Sky are obviously trying to find a balance between the Irish who already know the game fairly well and understand the finer points of the game and introducing a new audience to the game who have never seen the games before and are just getting into it.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 24/09/2014 10:22:58    1656398

Viewing figures for the football must have been really bad as there has not been a word about them

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 24/09/2014 13:32:45    1656532

I like Skysports for soccer and the like but not Gaelic football. As bad as some of the pundits on RTE are i prefer watching them and that coverage then Skyspots.

Also not every person can splash out on Skysports but it will eventually come to the stage that the majority of games are being shown on SKYSPORTS and it's articifial coverage

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2874 - 24/09/2014 13:49:04    1656544

Marlon, forced because its all you get on GAAGO, if SKY has an exclusive game you get their coverage.

A lot of its down to individual likes and dislikes and for those in Ireland, at least you have a choice if you have SKY

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1956 - 24/09/2014 13:52:33    1656549

i would expect the football viewers to be nowhere near the hurling due to the big man city/chelsea match on at the same time and plus the football sadly didnt deliver

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 24/09/2014 16:11:56    1656613

just read back through all the posts since the start of the championship and I did not see too many people that were missing any games as a result of them being on Sky, which when the deal was announced was on of peoples main objections, they didn't have Sky and so would miss some games.
As for comparing Sky with RTE, Sky were never going to be as good, its their first year and you have to walk before you can run. I do think they could have done much more to advertise the games being on, I saw for Superleague they had Webber the F1 driver going on about how much he loves Rugby League, etc, why not have Chris O'Dowd, Dara O Briain etc say how great GAA is.Sadly after this weekend their will be no sign of GAA on Sky until next Summer.
For those who want to critique Sky I think you would be much better comparing it with the TV3 coverage from the past few years as that's the package Sky took over.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 24/09/2014 17:37:30    1656642

Sorry for the late reply lads, was away drinking the head of meself in America for a wee while (i fully recommend The Brass Door in Memphis if anyone's heading soon!)

and a sure sign of a rookie poster but my second apology in as many paragraphs, the figures i got were from a friend of mine who works in the business but i hold my hands up, i picked them up wrong from her, they weren't for the match itself, they were for the programme as a whole, so not from throw in but from the coverage and build up started. i am sorry for any confusion this caused

and Soma Am I right in thinking that for some reason you are upset that the game got such a big tv audience in the UK? not at all pal, i don't care who watches the games and what channel they watch it on, if you go back through all the posts here i've never once give out about sky getting the rights. what i do get annoyed about tho is ppl blowing things out of proportion, i'm all about perspective, and that's with any aspect of the GAA and not just TV coverage. i don't like things being hyped up and i certainly don't like people taking one side over another and then being blind to other reasonable arguments

for what it's worth tho, i think ppl place too much importance on pundits and analysts, in our house if we're watching a game we mute the telly at half time and at the end of the game and discuss it ourselves, i don't need to listen to what pat spillane, joe brolly or peter canavan thought of the game, i can form my own opinions and i'm happy enough with that. who cares what someone on rte said and someone on sky didn't say, as long as the match was on the telly i'm happy enough

farneyfriend (Monaghan) - Posts: 37 - 29/09/2014 15:57:34    1658167

people werent blowing it out of proportion farney...that hurling final viewership was brilliant for what is a completely nothing sport in british terms on a subscription channel

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 29/09/2014 16:16:48    1658181

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 636

1658181
people werent blowing it out of proportion farney...that hurling final viewership was brilliant for what is a completely nothing sport in british terms on a subscription channel

yeah but most of them people were probably irish watching it
sure the all ireland final on rte usually is among the top 3 watched programmes of the year
but they dont get them numbers for the other matches
its an irish thing
just like the late late show and the eurovision compeition or the grand national
people view these things as a tradition for them year in year out

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 29/09/2014 17:32:40    1658230

a good portion of them werent irish also so still very good viewership considering its not irish viewing figures

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 29/09/2014 18:26:37    1658261

I would say most Irish in UK watched it down the pub, All Ireland final day here is still very much a bit of a drinking session.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 01/10/2014 11:45:39    1658905

Anyone know what the viewing figures were like for the football final and the hurling replay?

JP91 (Armagh) - Posts: 316 - 01/10/2014 12:09:24    1658922