GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[armaghniac]

So on top of everything else the Gaa should get TV stations to change government legislation and how they run their business? I'd argue the Gaa should do business with a TV company that can do the job and have the means to expand the Gaa can base rather than trying to lobby governments, lobby UTV and organise camera sharing for tg4 and rte.

The GAA should do things that allow the people of Ireland watch GAA, if government legislation inhibits TV companies doing this then the GAA should use any influence it has to alter this. It should not just take the handy way because it is easier.

[AZOffaly]

The people of Ireland can watch the vast majority of games on RTE. 

[blewuporstuffed]

I think the point is, free to air tv has  a saturation point of maybe 40-50 games a year, that a  combination of free to air and pay per view TV would not have, so in the long run we could end up with the 30 or so RTE games plus maybe the same again at least games on sky ( a hell of alot more gaa coverage than we have at the minute)
Now this may never happen, but i think it is at least worth exploring

[Zulu]

So on top of everything else the Gaa should get TV stations to change government legislation and how they run their business? I'd argue the Gaa should do business with a TV company that can do the job and have the means to expand the Gaa can base rather than trying to lobby governments, lobby UTV and organise camera sharing for tg4 and rte.

The GAA should do things that allow the people of Ireland watch GAA, if government legislation inhibits TV companies doing this then the GAA should use any influence it has to alter this. It should not just take the handy way because it is easier.

As AZ said they can watch the majority of games and I'd prefer the GAA focus on GAA affairs and deal with companies that can deliver for them rather than wasting their time trying to bend companies to suit a small % of their agenda. Sure the GAA reduced the amount of games on TV previously without the amount of moaning a few people have come out with.

This deal is very good for those of us trying to spread the games in Britain and is a small price to pay for Irish based GAA fans

[armaghniac]

The point is that the vast majority of games are not on RTE, unless you count 3 minutes on the Sunday game. And I do not see why the people of Ireland should be levied for the benefit of British people or how this squares with the objectives of the GAA.

[thewobbler]

With UTVIreland starting the GAA should try to get these channels to feature some GAA. Some lateral thinking is needed.

You call it lateral thinking. I call it daydreaming, or at least blindly ignoring reality.

UTVIreland is a TV3 clone that will eventually see TV3 closed. Sport, and Gaelic sport will only ever form a small part of their strategy, no matter how nicely the GAA ask. UTV won't invest in the infrastructure and resources needed. And nor should they - they've got shareholders to please, and repeats of Who Wants to be a Millionaire will gain them low-risk profit forever.

The point is that the vast majority of games are not on RTE, unless you count 3 minutes on the Sunday game. And I do not see why the people of Ireland should be levied for the benefit of British people or how this squares with the objectives of the GAA.

The point, which you keep ignoring, is that the ONLY way a majority of games, let alone a vast majority of games, is going to be covered on television, is if a dedicated sports channel picks them up.

[Zulu]

The point is that the vast majority of games are not on RTE, unless you count 3 minutes on the Sunday game.

As wobbler points out, they show they vast majority of televised games are likely unwilling to show many more. Can you explain how showing the games not currently shown would be economically worthwhile for RTE? I doubt very much RTE are willing or able to do it.

And I do not see why the people of Ireland should be levied for the benefit of British people or how this squares with the objectives of the GAA.

It squares with their objectives of spreading the games beyond Ireland.

[Rossfan]

There are 61 games in the SFCs ( plus 2 or 3 replays annually) and about 18/20 serious SHC games.
An awful lot of them are NOT live on any station.
Does anyone believe that dropping the Sky deal will get all those games on Terrestrial TV?

[johnneycool]

There are 61 games in the SFCs ( plus 2 or 3 replays annually) and about 18/20 serious SHC games.
An awful lot of them are NOT live on any station.
Does anyone believe that dropping the Sky deal will get all those games on Terrestrial TV?

An awful lot of them won't generate any interest outside the two counties involved so there is no real point or demand for them.

[Main Street]

The people of Ireland can watch the vast majority of games on RTE.

That's all fine if you're an Offaly man and easy to say, it doesn't hurt you but there are plenty of people who can't get to see their county play in a 2nd round championship game but would have caught it FTA on a TV3 package. Plus the wider audience, some >300,000 who would have watched the game.
300,000 v 30,000 is an absolute whitewash, it's Kilkenny hurlers v Kilkenny footballers. Spin just can't put clothes on that one.

Then where's this going, you think Sky will be content with a minor package of exclusivity in Ireland? Is there a precedent for Sky being content with a junior partner role? The end game for Sky has to be to increase their package of exclusive live games in Ireland.
There is no point to their getting involved unless this is part of their picture.
Tolerating a small package would be the equivalent of U2 on a world tour being content with playing the little clubs, cramming in 20 truckloads of a sound system inside.

Sky will look at the new subscriptions gained  and also Sky internet and make their calculations, then they will want more games.
And Sky's offer will make great sense and plenty of people explaining why it's good for us and the GAA and  others will swear blind that really the TV3 commentators sound so professional on Sky and Peter Cavanagh just sounds so much more incisive than he did on TV3 

In all likelihood, you will have to revise your position when the majority of games will no longer be on Rte.

[armaghniac]

Ah Main Street, won't somebody think of the poor British children.

[Jinxy]

The Queen would go apeshit if she couldn't watch the hurling.

[Ringfort]

Its a hard call on audiences - TV is about content, and SKY will never have the BEST GAMES (thats another debate, i know) and so will never be able to go like-for-like with RTE

They already have the BEST GAMES in Britain. Worldwide have the GAAGO service right up to AI final day. Us in Britain have it cut off at the AIQF stages as SKY have been given exclusivity. This is the real issue, not the few lower profile games they have earlier in the summer. Its a dangerous precedent and Ireland could be next.

[AZOffaly]

The people of Ireland can watch the vast majority of games on RTE.

That's all fine if you're an Offaly man and easy to say, it doesn't hurt you but there are plenty of people who can't get to see their county play in a 2nd round championship game but would have caught it FTA on a TV3 package. Plus the wider audience, some >300,000 who would have watched the game.
300,000 v 30,000 is an absolute whitewash, it's Kilkenny hurlers v Kilkenny footballers. Spin just can't put clothes on that one.

Then where's this going, you think Sky will be content with a minor package of exclusivity in Ireland? Is there a precedent for Sky being content with a junior partner role? The end game for Sky has to be to increase their package of exclusive live games in Ireland.
There is no point to their getting involved unless this is part of their picture.
Tolerating a small package would be the equivalent of U2 on a world tour being content with playing the little clubs, cramming in 20 truckloads of a sound system inside.

Sky will look at the new subscriptions gained  and also Sky internet and make their calculations, then they will want more games.
And Sky's offer will make great sense and plenty of people explaining why it's good for us and the GAA and  others will swear blind that really the TV3 commentators sound so professional on Sky and Peter Cavanagh just sounds so much more incisive than he did on TV3 

In all likelihood, you will have to revise your position when the majority of games will no longer be on Rte.

What sky want is immaterial if the GAA don't want to sell them rights. Would you be happy if the GAA gave them all the games that are not shown anywhere at all at the moment?

And I'm not sure what being from Offaly has to do with it. Offaly are already on sky and are on again this week for some reason, so that's 2 games that directly impact Offaly.

[Zulu]

Its a hard call on audiences - TV is about content, and SKY will never have the BEST GAMES (thats another debate, i know) and so will never be able to go like-for-like with RTE

They already have the BEST GAMES in Britain. Worldwide have the GAAGO service right up to AI final day. Us in Britain have it cut off at the AIQF stages as SKY have been given exclusivity. This is the real issue, not the few lower profile games they have earlier in the summer. Its a dangerous precedent and Ireland could be next.

Pretty sure Premier Sports are still able to show the QF, SF and finals over here.

Ah Main Street, won't somebody think of the poor British children.

Sure who has the time to worry about British kids when we can't even sleep worrying about poor Irish farmers in the arse end of nowhere who haven't got sky?

Then where's this going, you think Sky will be content with a minor package of exclusivity in Ireland? Is there a precedent for Sky being content with a junior partner role?

Are sky the the primary broadcasters of speedway, netball, basketball, hockey or ice hockey in every market where sky TV is available? GAA is a summer filler for sky and I think it'll prove a good one in time as more people discover the sports and find that they are entertaining viewing.

The suggestion sky will take over GAA broadcasting in Ireland is simply the scaremongering that too often passes as debate in GAA circles. Trying something in the GAA is to invite certain disaster to some people.