GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[magpie seanie]

RTE will have to up their game now. Their coverage has been lousy for years.

[blewuporstuffed]

I have to say, i agree with Paddy Heaney.
If anything, it will lead to MORE  games being available to watch on tv, not less.

[sheamy]

Yeah, more games if you pay for them. It'll be 14 this time but come 2017 and the end of this imminent deal, I'd expect it to go the whole hog.

Still, as long as the jerseys are of Irish manufacture.

[easytiger95]

Huge contradictions in the positions here -

"I want free to air coverage available North and South."

"Let them simulcast with sky by all means but remain free to air."

Here is something that may surprise a lot of people - covering a match costs a lot of money. To cover a match well costs even more. I'm assuming in point 1 you want the coverage to be good? As good as other sports seem to get from other channels? Costs a lot of money, and, quite frankly, neither RTE or TV3 have the resources to come anywhere near a Sky/BBC/ITV production. But because we live in a territory where the majority of people were able to see BBC coverage of sports and then latterly subscribed to Sky, we feel we can slag away at the coverage of GAA. It is a false comparison. Lads, RTE didn't cover provincial championships live until 1995! The Premier League was four years old at that stage.

So then in point 2, we say let Sky cover away - but not exclusively. I'm sorry, the deal as it stands may be right, may be wrong depending on what opinion you hold, but the idea that Sky would pay to coevr GAA matches on a subscription channel while RTE covers them on FTA is absurd - there is no logic to that statment. It actually smacks of such arrogance "Yeah we'll take their dirty money, but we won't give them any kind of consideration in return."

Who do we think we are lads? Sky are the biggest sports commercial broadcaster. We entered the commercial rights market ten years ago with Setanta - the days of turning up our noses at the realities of pay per view should be gone. As Bernard Shaw said to the Duchess, we know what you are, now we're just deciding the price.

We can decide to keep our games free to air and give them to RTE to cover each year - fine, but please let's not bitch and moan about the coverage they provide when it is a monopoly.

Or we can give Championship games to Sky as well, get some money for it but have them on a subscription basis - but please let's not wail about our loss of innocence, when we started Pay Per View games with a different company 10 years ago.

[Lazer]

Huge contradictions in the positions here -

"I want free to air coverage available North and South."

"Let them simulcast with sky by all means but remain free to air."

Here is something that may surprise a lot of people - covering a match costs a lot of money. To cover a match well costs even more. I'm assuming in point 1 you want the coverage to be good? As good as other sports seem to get from other channels? Costs a lot of money, and, quite frankly, neither RTE or TV3 have the resources to come anywhere near a Sky/BBC/ITV production. But because we live in a territory where the majority of people were able to see BBC coverage of sports and then latterly subscribed to Sky, we feel we can slag away at the coverage of GAA. It is a false comparison. Lads, RTE didn't cover provincial championships live until 1995! The Premier League was four years old at that stage.

So then in point 2, we say let Sky cover away - but not exclusively. I'm sorry, the deal as it stands may be right, may be wrong depending on what opinion you hold, but the idea that Sky would pay to coevr GAA matches on a subscription channel while RTE covers them on FTA is absurd - there is no logic to that statment. It actually smacks of such arrogance "Yeah we'll take their dirty money, but we won't give them any kind of consideration in return."

Who do we think we are lads? Sky are the biggest sports commercial broadcaster. We entered the commercial rights market ten years ago with Setanta - the days of turning up our noses at the realities of pay per view should be gone. As Bernard Shaw said to the Duchess, we know what you are, now we're just deciding the price.

We can decide to keep our games free to air and give them to RTE to cover each year - fine, but please let's not bitch and moan about the coverage they provide when it is a monopoly.

Or we can give Championship games to Sky as well, get some money for it but have them on a subscription basis - but please let's not wail about our loss of innocence, when we started Pay Per View games with a different company 10 years ago.

You are right, sky probabably wouldn't want a simulcast deal, but there is nothing to stop it being offered, so its not really a contradiction - as long as the games are available free to air in Ireland, then I couldn't care less if Sky, Setanta, BT Sports or anyone else also shows them.

As for the quality, I would prefer poorer quality games broadcast free than excellent quality coverage paid for through sky.

I'm not really that bothered about sky having 14 games or so, but how long is it before they are all subscription only?

I have only got RTE in the last about 6 years, and I have loved being able to see other counties play. I will get of off the sofa and go to my own county games but rarely would go see any other county.

[Jonah]

http://www.todayfm.com/player/podcasts/The_Ian_Dempsey_Breakfast_Show/The_Ian_Dempsey_Breakfast_Show/13260/2/Gift_Sky_Sports_GAA

[easytiger95]

Well Lazer, you might be lucky - if Sky do get it, they may not have any Ulster championship games. The large majority of games will be an RTE, so hopefully you'll get to see the games you want. Also, not sure where BBC NI fit in - they could still have their quota of games as well.

[Bingo]

I think too many are making the comparison between SKY and going professional, many seem to think this is a windfall.

And I can't see the situation arising where SKY will ever have exclusive rights to the games.

[orangeman]

Before Bill Whelan and Riverdance Irish dancing was on a small scale in a couple of countries and you could follow it and participate in it without having to have a pile of money.

Now it's massive in about 50 + countries in the world and participation levels are unbelievable. Whether by accident or design, participation costs have rocketed. It's big, big bucks now to be part of it.

[sheamy]

I think too many are making the comparison between SKY and going professional, many seem to think this is a windfall.

And I can't see the situation arising where SKY will ever have exclusive rights to the games.

If media reports are correct, Sky have already netted exclusive rights to some games. It's really not that big a leap to overall control. It has happened in almost every area they've invested in. They don't do small pieces of the pie.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/john-fogarty-sky-deal-heralds-whole-new-era-263893.html

[screenexile]

It's probably a better situation for me as I can't get access to TV3 except for 2 pubs in the Town that have it but sure now it'll be on Sky.

It's not like they're taking over, RTÉ will still be covering the Lion's share and surely this will give our games greater exposure and participation rates which can only be a good thing...

Unless you are armagniac

[Rossfan]

If media reports are correct, Sky have already netted exclusive rights to some games. It's really not that big a leap to overall control. It has happened in almost every area they've invested in. They don't do small pieces of the pie.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/john-fogarty-sky-deal-heralds-whole-new-era-263893.html

Gaelic games are so tiny in comparison to a lot of Sky's output so "overall control" of Gaelic Games is hardly part of their agenda.
Has anyone  any FACTS about the proposed deal?

[thejuice]

Paddy has it spot on.

[Main Street]

Paddy has it spot on.

Yeah, but Paddy didn't mention a dickeybird about Sky sports policy about the goal and point celebration music that they certainly impose on games they cover, which also implies proper goal celebrations by players and pro active DJ announcements over the PA system to whip the crowd into a 'frenzy'.

[Bingo]

I think too many are making the comparison between SKY and going professional, many seem to think this is a windfall.

And I can't see the situation arising where SKY will ever have exclusive rights to the games.

If media reports are correct, Sky have already netted exclusive rights to some games. It's really not that big a leap to overall control. It has happened in almost every area they've invested in. They don't do small pieces of the pie.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/john-fogarty-sky-deal-heralds-whole-new-era-263893.html

Sky have always done selective pieces of the sports - there is very few sports that they hold full exclusive rights for.

Is it in Skys interests to have exclusive rights for the GAA? Who knows, they are likely testing the water but you can't imagine it been a Sky sports 1 or 2 viewing sport. Likely to sit on 3 or 4. Plus when the GAA season is at the business end the premiership is in full flow again.

Is it in GAA's interests to have exclusive rights for the GAA? Not now or in the future and these guys are smart in Croke Park, money isn't always first to them. They know that the GAA already battles for media space on the air waves with other sports and taking it off freeview in its entirety is in no ones interests. They will see the bigger game and know the national broadcaster is the bread and butter. It may pressure them into getting better deal or improving the coverage but closing the doors to many isn't an option.