GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[Zulu]

Wait until they start the football, the site will probably explode! Thought it was only ok but the match wasn't great so I suppose there wasn't much they could do. It'll be interesting once they get to CP.

[Tony Baloney]

I see Des is still calling for suggestions tonight for the Sunday Game Word game. 

[Kidder81]

Des seems a bit simple

[bridgegael]

Des word game it ridiculous.  wouldnt be as bad if he used a bit of imaginatuon to slip the word in , but he just comes out with a random word at a random time.  grow up des.

[Orangemac]

Would be funny if you were 14 but not as anchor on main GAA show.

[AZOffaly]

I watched it, and the way I would sum it up so far is that they are good, way better than RTE, on the presentation of the game and their analysis style. However, the TV3 commentators are no better than RTE, and I think they should look at that. Also, in fairness to them, the games they've got have been fairly low key so far, compared to the Clare v Cork, Cork v Waterford and Tipp v Limerick that RTE had first dibs on.

Numbers in Ireland will never be comparable to RTE, because at the end of the day, they have less TVs with Sky than have RTE, so I'm more interested in the job they are doing on it, and so far I've been happy with them.

Regarding numbers in England, I'd expect it to grow over time, but you're not going to get millions tuning in for the first few games, especially when a World Cup is going on.

[BennyHarp]

An average of 14,700 viewers tuned in to see Dublin overcome Wexford in Saturday's Leinster hurling semi-final at Wexford Park, a drastic drop from the 32,000 average they had for Kilkenny's facile victory over Offaly.

When you consider that 13,943 people went through the turnstiles at Wexford Park, as many people went to the game as watched it on Sky.

- See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/exclusive-sky-sports-gaa-viewership-slumps-to-14700-30357920.html#sthash.q95HpImW.dpuf

Does this include those who watch in pubs or Sky plus it or watch on Sky Go or catch up? I've Sky plussed it and plan to watch it tonight when my kid goes to bed. So add one more to that figure there.

[armaghniac]

An average of 14,700 viewers tuned in to see Dublin overcome Wexford in Saturday's Leinster hurling semi-final at Wexford Park, a drastic drop from the 32,000 average they had for Kilkenny's facile victory over Offaly.

When you consider that 13,943 people went through the turnstiles at Wexford Park, as many people went to the game as watched it on Sky.

- See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/exclusive-sky-sports-gaa-viewership-slumps-to-14700-30357920.html#sthash.q95HpImW.dpuf

Does this include those who watch in pubs or Sky plus it or watch on Sky Go or catch up? I've Sky plussed it and plan to watch it tonight when my kid goes to bed. So add one more to that figure there.

This is the relevant audience, it doesn't include those abroad in any case.

[BennyHarp]

An average of 14,700 viewers tuned in to see Dublin overcome Wexford in Saturday's Leinster hurling semi-final at Wexford Park, a drastic drop from the 32,000 average they had for Kilkenny's facile victory over Offaly.

When you consider that 13,943 people went through the turnstiles at Wexford Park, as many people went to the game as watched it on Sky.

- See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/exclusive-sky-sports-gaa-viewership-slumps-to-14700-30357920.html#sthash.q95HpImW.dpuf

Does this include those who watch in pubs or Sky plus it or watch on Sky Go or catch up? I've Sky plussed it and plan to watch it tonight when my kid goes to bed. So add one more to that figure there.

This is the relevant audience, it doesn't include those abroad in any case.

Ah right - so nobody in Ireland has access to any of these facilities.  My brother was doing the same thing so I hope he's added to the figures tonight.  He still lives in Ireland so you probably don't mind him watching it.

[armaghniac]

In viewing comparisons they will want to compare like with like. In previous years Setanta showed all the games during the week  and some people watched them then,  I certainly did.

[Ringfort]

Regarding numbers in England, I'd expect it to grow over time, but you're not going to get millions tuning in for the first few games, especially when a World Cup is going on.

They'll never get 'millions'. In terms of the native British I can imagine a fair few will watch a game or two for the novelty but as far as anyone gaining a serious long-term, in depth interest in the GAA due to Sky Sports coverage and then deciding it's a must-have part of their TV package?? Negligible I'd say.

Sky are only interested in new subscriptions. The people they are targeting are the likes of me. Long term (or semi-long term) settled in the UK, native Irish who view GAA as their number 1 sports. I don't have Sky as I don't watch trash on the telly for recreation yet now they have effectively secured the rights to live GAA in Britain I have a choice to make. Subscribe to Sky so I can watch the GAA or continue to be a non-subscriber and miss out. The business end of the championships is exclusive to Sky in the UK so it is effectively Sky or nothing. No online option, no nothing. SkySports sub or f**k off. Irish diaspora in the UK shafted so the GAA can spout some pipe-dream bolox about "expanding our games worldwide".
I obviously will not be joining them but I'm sure there's a few on the fence who might just deem this addition 'worth it'. There will be some in Ireland too. And more a few years down the line when they get some exclusive 'big' games. Then ye won't all be so delighted and harping on about the 'quality of punditry' when you can't actually see the friggin game itself without setting up some nonsense, extortionate thousand-channel 'package'.

[BennyHarp]

Regarding numbers in England, I'd expect it to grow over time, but you're not going to get millions tuning in for the first few games, especially when a World Cup is going on.

They'll never get 'millions'. In terms of the native British I can imagine a fair few will watch a game or two for the novelty but as far as anyone gaining a serious long-term, in depth interest in the GAA due to Sky Sports coverage and then deciding it's a must-have part of their TV package?? Negligible I'd say.

Sky are only interested in new subscriptions. The people they are targeting are the likes of me. Long term (or semi-long term) settled in the UK, native Irish who view GAA as their number 1 sports. I don't have Sky as I don't watch trash on the telly for recreation yet now they have effectively secured the rights to live GAA in Britain I have a choice to make. Subscribe to Sky so I can watch the GAA or continue to be a non-subscriber and miss out. The business end of the championships is exclusive to Sky in the UK so it is effectively Sky or nothing. No online option, no nothing. SkySports sub or f**k off. Irish diaspora in the UK shafted so the GAA can spout some pipe-dream bolox about "expanding our games worldwide".
I obviously will not be joining them but I'm sure there's a few on the fence who might just deem this addition 'worth it'. There will be some in Ireland too. And more a few years down the line when they get some exclusive 'big' games. Then ye won't all be so delighted and harping on about the 'quality of punditry' when you can't actually see the friggin game itself without setting up some nonsense, extortionate thousand-channel 'package'.

Where did you watch it before Sky?

[Ringfort]

Last year, PremSports £9.99 a month for all games. That was some cheap-arse channel that did not work 100% of the time but at least it was all in one place and was clean and simple to subscribe to. 'Progress' this year is £60 for GaaGo for one block of games, then whatever it would be to get Sky up and running for the rest, and crucially - the semis and finals are Sky only.

I do not mind at all having to pay to watch the games. I live aboad, I cannot expect them for free, but a decent one-stop webstreaming service is all we require, like the rest of the world are getting. I would pay $110 or whatever it is for it, no problem. Yet getting a full Sky installation with the premiums on top for the Sports channels is what we are looking at now.

In years gone by we had Setanta and various means of getting RTE on in the Irish pubs. The web wasn't that advanced so we made do. But now we can have a web based subscription channel - in fact - we DO!! Its called GAAGO but in Britain it finishes at the QF stage cos Sky have a block on it as they are showing the games on their extortionate subscription channel. A sign of things to come back home?

[BennyHarp]

Last year, PremSports £9.99 a month for all games. That was some cheap-arse channel that did not work 100% of the time but at least it was all in one place and was clean and simple to subscribe to. 'Progress' this year is £60 for GaaGo for one block of games, then whatever it would be to get Sky up and running for the rest, and crucially - the semis and finals are Sky only.

I do not mind at all having to pay to watch the games. I live aboad, I cannot expect them for free, but a decent one-stop webstreaming service is all we require, like the rest of the world are getting. I would pay $110 or whatever it is for it, no problem. Yet getting a full Sky installation with the premiums on top for the Sports channels is what we are looking at now.

In years gone by we had Setanta and various means of getting RTE on in the Irish pubs. The web wasn't that advanced so we made do. But now we can have a web based subscription channel - in fact - we DO!! Its called GAAGO but in Britain it finishes at the QF stage cos Sky have a block on it as they are showing the games on their extortionate subscription channel. A sign of things to come back home?

On what platform did you watch premier sports? I assume if you watched it on your TV on either Virgin or Sky then installation of Sky is not needed to get the Sky sports. It may cost a bit more for a month or two - which is not ideal, but its cheaper than going to the pub. (£22 per month minus the £9.99 from cancelling Premier Sports) Alternatively, get the Sky sports app for £9.99 per month and cancel Premier when  their games end.

[Ringfort]

I just got PremSports direct on the laptop and ipad. Never watched it on TV. They've lost the rights to online streaming now. I have Virgin for TV and Internet but the TV is the most basic channels. Can you add just PremSports only to that without having to have all the other stations first?? Getting that would be the way to go as they appear to show both RTE and Sky games, I think.....
Damn this is getting confusing.... 

What's the SkySports app ? - do you have to have a Sky account already to add this or can you just get it for 9.99 a month on the ipad and you are good to go watching games?

You can see I'm not much of TV/technology guy