GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[roney]

This is weird logic.

You'd welcome 14,000 new viewers in another country at the expense of the loss of a couple of hundred thousand viewers in this country?

Each to their own.

Personally I've always found Cyril Farrell, Tomas Mulcahy and Ger Loughnane to be reasonably upbeat about the game. They are passionate hurling people so I'm not sure where you are going with that argument.

[AZOffaly]

RTE have the same games as last year. We've never had more games on TV. Nobody showed the Cork Waterford, Armagh v Cavan or several other games this weekend. Where's the outcry?

I just don't understand the antipathy towards potentially improving the quality of coverage and making it available to other people. It will take time to grow in the UK. Did you think 4 million viewers would tune into the first match?

And I agree with you about the hurling men on RTE. I have no problem with them at all. It's RTE's attitude to GAA in general (ah sure any auld shite presentation will do, people will watch anyway) and the tiresome 'controversial' pundits on the Football.

[roney]

RTE have the same games as last year. We've never had more games on TV. Nobody showed the Cork Waterford, Armagh v Cavan or several other games this weekend. Where's the outcry?

I just don't understand the antipathy towards potentially improving the quality of coverage and making it available to other people. It will take time to grow in the UK. Did you think 4 million viewers would tune into the first match?

And I agree with you about the hurling men on RTE. I have no problem with them at all. It's RTE's attitude to GAA in general (ah sure any auld shite presentation will do, people will watch anyway) and the tiresome 'controversial' pundits on the Football.

Don't disagree on the football pundits AZ. They are a tired group although some of it is enjoyable. It can be annoying though.

However, surely we've thrown the baby out with the bath water here? The programme is about the games and people watching the games. What some retired player thinks is fairly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

You talk about presentation although I find the most important aspect of the presentation i.e. the camera work to be of a fairly high standard on RTE. They have nice slow motion features and in general I don't find a problem with it. It's evolving.

I no more want to listen to Sky pundits than RTE pundits.

I don't understand this burning desire to have a worldwide audience. What's the end game? A 'world series' branded hurling championship where the same four counties win it as have always won it?

Getting more kids playing GAA in Ireland that would be higher up my list of priorities to be honest.

[AZOffaly]

We can do both is my take on it. And any competition, in the meantime, that gives RTE a reminder is a good thing. I wouldn't want all games on Sky, but I want the threat of it to keep RTE honest. To be honest I can't understand why broadcasters don't have an opportunity to show every game. That way you could have 45 or whatever it is on RTE, and more on Sky and TV3 or whatever. The games that are not shown this year, in many cases, will be better than games that are.

I think RTE have shown that where they have no competition, they will just about do 'enough' to keep what is a captive audience off their backs. They have no interest in making the GAA look like a good product, and their football pundits reinforce that with their style. The hurling pundits, in fairness, are the opposite.

So if Sky does nothing else but bring a positivity to their coverage, and forces RTE to examine their own direction, then I think it will be good for the future of GAA on TV. If it helps lads like Zulu there over in Scotland to recruit kids, or helps the kids he trains to stick out their chest with pride that their game is on Sky TV, then all the better.

As I said, I think you can do both.

[AZOffaly]

Sky Sports News brief highlights

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/9342342/mayo-v-roscommon-highlights

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/9342459/dublin-v-laois-highlights

[muppet]

You are following the wrong people.

Martin McGuinness, though it wasn't Marty who said it, loads of loyalists and English people comment under every update he makes.

It was a Meath person who made the comment about Brolly.

..That he hopes Brolly gets shot by the UVF?

Even if he was stupid enough to say something like that, surely he wasn't daft enough to say where he was from and possibly identify himself?

[Jinxy]

Sounds like a flourbag false flag operation.
Trying to smear our good name.
A bit like the threatening letter Carthage Buckley got from Laois fans after the Battle of Aughrim, postmarked 'Athy'.

[AZOffaly]

Stop calling him Carthage, I don't know who you are referring to when you say that. Call him 'Catch'.

[Jinxy]

Typical Biffos.
Here you have a man with possibly the greatest first name in the world, and you have to give him a nickname.

[Bingo]

Stop calling him Carthage, I don't know who you are referring to when you say that. Call him 'Catch'.

Now that's name from the past. Shared an apartment with "Catch" junior in college back in the day.

[AZOffaly]

Typical Biffos.
Here you have a man with possibly the greatest first name in the world, and you have to give him a nickname.

You try cursing at him in the middle of a game. For fucks sake Carthage just doesn't trip of the tongue.

[Zulu]

We can do both is my take on it. And any competition, in the meantime, that gives RTE a reminder is a good thing. I wouldn't want all games on Sky, but I want the threat of it to keep RTE honest. To be honest I can't understand why broadcasters don't have an opportunity to show every game. That way you could have 45 or whatever it is on RTE, and more on Sky and TV3 or whatever. The games that are not shown this year, in many cases, will be better than games that are.

I think RTE have shown that where they have no competition, they will just about do 'enough' to keep what is a captive audience off their backs. They have no interest in making the GAA look like a good product, and their football pundits reinforce that with their style. The hurling pundits, in fairness, are the opposite.

So if Sky does nothing else but bring a positivity to their coverage, and forces RTE to examine their own direction, then I think it will be good for the future of GAA on TV. If it helps lads like Zulu there over in Scotland to recruit kids, or helps the kids he trains to stick out their chest with pride that their game is on Sky TV, then all the better.

As I said, I think you can do both.

I agree AZ. I don't think British clubs will be turning kids away because they can't handle the surge in numbers but it has to be a bit of help and I certainly promote the Sky connection on our clubs Facebook and twitter page (mores now that games have started). It will help the game in Britain but I don't see how it will harm the game in Ireland so I think it's a win win situation. I know last Saturdays match was shown in at least two non-Irish pubs close to where I live and in time I think it will generate a following.

[Eamonnca1]

I don't understand this burning desire to have a worldwide audience.

I don't understand the urge to keep the games under wraps and hidden from the rest of the world. Are we ashamed of them or something?

Was Riverdance pointless or was it a proud expression of Irish culture in front of an international audience?

What's wrong with showcasing the most underrated aspect of our culture?

Getting more kids playing GAA in Ireland that would be higher up my list of priorities to be honest.

Why? The game's already strong in Ireland. There's already kids playing Gaelic games in Ireland. What's wrong with fishing in new waters and bringing more cultures and nationalities into our games? What's wrong with sharing our games with the rest of the world? What's wrong with wanting to be known as a people that can do more than just drink ourselves stupid?

[armaghniac]

Why? The game's already strong in Ireland. There's already kids playing Gaelic games in Ireland. What's wrong with fishing in new waters and bringing more cultures and nationalities into our games? What's wrong with sharing our games with the rest of the world? What's wrong with wanting to be known as a people that can do more than just drink ourselves stupid?

There's parts of Ireland where feck all kids play Gaelic games, but this is ignored in all of this hype.  Why in Ireland are people always more interested in what the rest of the world thinks of us, rather than what actually goes on in our own country.

[Syferus]

Why? The game's already strong in Ireland. There's already kids playing Gaelic games in Ireland. What's wrong with fishing in new waters and bringing more cultures and nationalities into our games? What's wrong with sharing our games with the rest of the world? What's wrong with wanting to be known as a people that can do more than just drink ourselves stupid?

There's parts of Ireland where feck all kids play Gaelic games, but this is ignored in all of this hype.  Why in Ireland are people always more interested in what the rest of the world thinks of us, rather than what actually goes on in our own country.

You'd swear we could only do one thing at any time.