Destination Newry

[southdown]

A lot of the comments seem to be coming from overseas.  Some eejit was watching the match from Ghana on Sunday!

[fitzroyalty]

Wha? Why get off yer hole & go to the game when its live online? I've watched 2 games online that i normally would have paid into see. Cross v Cruppen & Peters v Killeavey (both games in Armagh City),   Newry itself is irrelevant.

I hope it prompts the county board into doing double headers, at the business end of things rather than just the first round games etc. Seemingly though the matches being covered are advertised on the county website so I don't think they mind too much about it.  It's a great asset to have but my only complaint is they basically covered every Cruppen game in this year's championship! They'll be doing their remaining league games next!

[All of a Sludden]

Really is a fantastic initiative, bit it's like something that would be taking money from the gate.

Money talks it would seem. The Armagh SFC & MFC finals will not now be shown on  Destination Newry.

[theticklemister]

Ah bollix. 

Why is this the case.

[All of a Sludden]

Destination Newry statement regarding the cancellation of Sunday's live streaming of Armagh GAA games

Our planned live coverage of the Armagh MFC and SFC finals on Sunday is cancelled.

Streaming the games is a complex process. It involves a team of up to 12 people at each game - cameramen, producers, technicians and presenters. The technical equipment is high spec and expensive, and the streaming technology, bandwidth and web technology also contribute to the costs.

We have streamed a number of Armagh club games – with the express permission of the Armagh County Board.

Sarsfields v Carrickcruppen
Killeavy v Mullaghbawn
Carrickcruppen v Sarsfields replay
Pearse Ogs v St Patricks Cullyhanna
Crossmaglen v Carrickcruppen
Killeavy v St Peters IFC Final

Each outside broadcast costs approximately £650 to produce.
We have not charged the Armagh County Board any fee for this service.

People are watching the games from all corners of the world, and we have been inundated with messages of support for the initiative.

Other counties outside Down and Armagh are also interested, and we will be considering our plans for 2013 in light of the many requests and expressions of interest we have received.

We had planned to cover both Armagh games on Sunday, and had secured permission from the Armagh County Board to do so. The logistics were more challenging than usual because we are also committed to streaming the Down GAA games that day.

In summary, the costs are substantial and the logistics challenging.

Funding the broadcasts is crucial. They simply cannot happen without adequate funding. Normally this happens via advertising and sponsorship. We have only recently asked for support through advertising. All costs up to now have been covered by us.

We have always been open and direct about our need for sponsorship, as without it the productions are simply not viable. We have never charged the County Boards as we are GAA supporters and knew that this would not be a good option.

We can state categorically that we have never made any profit on this.

This morning, we received an email from the Armagh County Board, requesting a substantial sum of money as a fee for permission to broadcast Sunday's games.

The County Board explained that this was because we were seeking advertising and sponsorship to try and cover the costs.

The request for this substantial fee from the Armagh County Board has left us in an impossible position and we have no choice but to cancel the broadcast as it is completely financially unviable.

To clarify, we have never claimed to secure sponsorship on behalf of the Armagh County Board. We are very clear with our advertisers that they are advertising with Destination Newry, not the County Board, and that the fee they pay will be used specifically to facilitate the streaming of a particular event. They are very clear about this and we believe there has been no confusion.

We are offering a full refund to any advertiser who was particularly interested in supporting Sunday's Armagh streaming.

We are extremely disappointed that we will be unable to bring the Armagh games to supporters overseas, and those who are unable to make the games. We are also disappointed that there will be no opportunity for those who were involved in the games to see the video afterwards, complete with three different camera angles and full commentary & analysis.

We believe we connect people from our area who are away from  the place they call home and that is priceless.

We ask all our viewers to please inform fellow supporters that the Armagh games will not be streamed this Sunday.

We apologise to all supporters but this is outside our control.

Is Mise
Cathal Mac Aodha

Cathal McCoy
Destination Newry

[el_cuervo_fc]

A joke of a decision.

[5 Sams]

Well played to the Armagh Co Board ...their pettiness has just deprived a lot of the diaspora from seeing their club mates in action. I hope our lads in Down have more common sense about our Co Finals. The lads in Destination Newry are providing a top class service.

[fitzroyalty]

Well played to the Armagh Co Board ...their pettiness has just deprived a lot of the diaspora from seeing their club mates in action. I hope our lads in Down have more common sense about our Co Finals. The lads in Destination Newry are providing a top class service.

They allowed the Intermediate final to be shown no bother, what's the difference now? Not like they'd have lost out on the gate that much cos people would still go and see the showpiece regardless, a lot of boys overseas are fcuked off with that decision.

[Kernan_is_King]

Sure Cross' is on the tele manys the time.

Hopefully they will again.

[bennydorano]

"we've never charged Co Board for coverage" same conversation Sky has with EPL, not. Have to say i'm not suprised in the slightest, more suprised at peoples reactions, why would co board not want as many paying punters as possible through the gates for the showpiece game of the year? Co board is 100% correct imo.

[brokencrossbar1]

"we've never charged Co Board for coverage" same conversation Sky has with EPL, not. Have to say i'm not suprised in the slightest, more suprised at peoples reactions, why would co board not want as many paying punters as possible through the gates for the showpiece game of the year? Co board is 100% correct imo.

I can understand both sides POV here but I think that some deal could have been struck. I wonder would it be possible for Destination Newry to have a subscription system whereby viewers pay a £1 or so to view. This would cover a lot of cost I would imagine.

[Lecale2]

Showing the matches live on this website will have very little impact on the attendance. I can't imagine crowds in Crossmaglen gathering round the laptop rather than travel up to Armagh for the County Final.

It's a great service for those working abroad and it's a pity the Armagh County Board have taken this approach.

I reckon it would cost more to set up a pay for view system than they would collect.

[brokencrossbar1]

Showing the matches live on this website will have very little impact on the attendance. I can't imagine crowds in Crossmaglen gathering round the laptop rather than travel up to Armagh for the County Final.

It's a great service for those working abroad and it's a pity the Armagh County Board have taken this approach.

I reckon it would cost more to set up a pay for view system than they would collect.

Possibly Lecale, I am not sure how much it costs.  I would imagine there would also be enough sponsors out there would assist.  I think ACB are pretty stapped at the minute and MAG is costing an awful lot of money to run.

[ogshead]

Showing the matches live on this website will have very little impact on the attendance. I can't imagine crowds in Crossmaglen gathering round the laptop rather than travel up to Armagh for the County Final.

It's a great service for those working abroad and it's a pity the Armagh County Board have taken this approach.

I reckon it would cost more to set up a pay for view system than they would collect.

Possibly Lecale, I am not sure how much it costs.  I would imagine there would also be enough sponsors out there would assist.  I think ACB are pretty stapped at the minute and MAG is costing an awful lot of money to run.

That maybe the case; however, the streaming of this was not impacting on the county board. TG4 showed the final a few years back and the attendance at the game was no different. The real losers in this are the people who have to move away for whatever reason. One person I know of in the states had arranged for all his mates (who are all yanks) to come round for beers to watch his local club in the final and is fuming now he cannot watch it. It was a great service and showcased our local games in a good light and this has now been ruined.

The ACB have made some baffling decisions over the years but this one tops the lot. Surely they could have let the final be shown and then spent the next 9 months negotiating for next season and tout for sponsors of the service. Long term this would have been of more benfit rather than demanding money 48 hours before throw in.

[borderfox]

Terrible decision for those who are emigrated and wished to see the games. Hopefully some sort of deal can be brokered between the Co board and D Newry.