RTE and SKY Live Coverage of GAA Championships 2014

[Orangemac]

The Highlights package
For the weekly highlights package, don't expect a GAA equivalent of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher standing in front of a big screen or Austin Healey or Matt Dawson bouncing around a studio, a la BT Sports rugby magazine programme. There will be no Sunday Game style format, no studio or no major analyses, simply a round-up of the weekend's action aimed primarily at the UK audience. Steve Smith outlined how the highlights programme will look.

That's a pity, I think a midweek analysis/discussion type show is exactly what we need and I'm surprised nobody has ever done it.

yeah i agree.
a football focus type show would be good, with a round up of the main action & talking points and maybe a feature interview with a  player/manager or whatever

Def good mid week programme giving all games a bit of exposure badly needed

[Wildweasel74]

As hard sometimes as it is to watch the analysis on rte, there commentors who do pick up alot of criticism  on here are like a lean oiled machine compared to listening to McHugh and Sidebottom on BBC 1, They way they got on during the Tyrone game was terrible and couldnt give a problem commentary on the game. Don't seen to know the new rules either, (i suppose that opens the possibility of them refereeing instead lol)

[blewuporstuffed]

As hard sometimes as it is to watch the analysis on rte, there commentors who do pick up alot of criticism  on here are like a lean oiled machine compared to listening to McHugh and Sidebottom on BBC 1, They way they got on during the Tyrone game was terrible and couldnt give a problem commentary on the game. Don't seen to know the new rules either, (i suppose that opens the possibility of them refereeing instead lol)

to be fair to RTE, ciaran whelans analysis of the tyrone game was actulaly very good, and i think its this type of thing that actually interests people. Things like illustrating the players on the wrong side for the kickouts and the impact of morgan going off.

The BBC coverage i thought was terrible, thomas Kane particularly grinding my gears as the touchline reporter.
Running about interviewing people (one of the stewards!) and asking daft questions like he was covering the Balmoral show or something.

BBC last year actually had some very good pundits on at times, with mcginley & mcgeeney both excellent when they were there.

[orangeman]

Another opinion poll for what it's worth.


More than half the public believe that the GAA should not have done a deal with Sky Sports for exclusive coverage of 14 All-Ireland championship games.
That's twice as many who support the switch to pay-per-view, while the remainder have no opinion on the issue or are prepared to wait until later in the season before making up their minds.

According to the findings of an exclusive Millward Brown poll for today's Irish Independent, 56pc consider the GAA's link-up with Sky a bad decision, while 28pc support the move.

13pc are in the 'don't know' camp, while 3pc want to see how the deal works out before making up their minds.

The main opposition to the GAA's decision to include Sky for the first time comes from those in the over-55 age bracket, where 62pc are opposed.

The 18-24 age category shows most support among those who back the deal, with 39pc in favour.

This is the first sampling of public opinion since the GAA announced in early April that Sky would replace TV3 as rights holders for the All-Ireland championships.

[Eamonnca1]

Irish people, and GAA people in particular, always disapprove of something new before it happens but soon change their minds when it comes to pass.

[Eamonnca1]

"Always" in this case means "often."

[Brick Tamlin]

Does anyone know if the Down V Tyrone game this weekend will be shown live anywhere?

[Hardy]

Another opinion poll for what it's worth.


More than half the public believe that the GAA should not have done a deal with Sky Sports for exclusive coverage of 14 All-Ireland championship games.
That's twice as many who support the switch to pay-per-view, while the remainder have no opinion on the issue or are prepared to wait until later in the season before making up their minds.

According to the findings of an exclusive Millward Brown poll for today's Irish Independent, 56pc consider the GAA's link-up with Sky a bad decision, while 28pc support the move.

13pc are in the 'don't know' camp, while 3pc want to see how the deal works out before making up their minds.

The main opposition to the GAA's decision to include Sky for the first time comes from those in the over-55 age bracket, where 62pc are opposed.

The 18-24 age category shows most support among those who back the deal, with 39pc in favour.

This is the first sampling of public opinion since the GAA announced in early April that Sky would replace TV3 as rights holders for the All-Ireland championships.

I'll bet you that if that poll is repeated in October, the numbers will be reversed.

Sky know how to titillate* the viewers and the viewers will lap it up. I have no time for them, but I do hope the move will have the effect of giving RTÉ the boot up the arse they need, though there's no sign of it so far. Maybe that was the whole idea anyway.

(* Disclaimer - this is not intended as a sexist comment and no reference to Rachel Wise is implied.)

[All of a Sludden]

Kilkenny have invested a lot of money in the re-development of their stadium in Nowlan Park.

But despite the re-developments one thing has not changed. The point of view of the viewer.

The "Old Stand" as it is referred to in Kilkenny is a huge eye sore. Old, as its nickname suggests – and not very big. It stands today purely out of the fact that it is right on top of a residential area and the roof was made of asbestos.

For years now the "New Stand" has been the premier stand in the stadium, with a much larger capacity and a far more modern (yet by today's standards, out-dated) exterior. Yet when the TV cameras rolled in to town, the camera has been strung from its ceiling, instead pointing towards the grotesque "Old Stand", virtually turning its back on the thousands of fans below.

This was a decision that always baffled. Why not hire a crane for the camera to put on the other side? Do appearances mean nothing?

Well to Sky they do. And they have wasted no time in making the call to face the cameras in the opposite direction.

Of course they were given a little nudge due to the fact the Winter storms had wreaked havoc on the old stand's roof, causing asbestos to fly in to the nearby residential area. Years of putting off the removal of the asbestos ridden roof for fear of safety to the public – only to have the wind do it for you.

Since then the powers that be at Nowlan Park have set about removing the roof entirely and are likely to start the long overdue construction work on a new "old stand".

To this Sky's Director of Production Steve Smith laughed "We're not bringing a roof. That's where the production manager and directors go and deal with the specific detail but I do know about Nowlan Park and the fact it's redeveloping. The plan is to shoot from that side rather than into that side. We'd much rather show what a great spectacle it is rather than shooting a building site."

[Jinxy]

It's really annoying the way the camera is so often directed towards the least populated area of the stand/terrace for TV coverage.
Makes it look like there is nobody actually at the game.

[thewobbler]

It's really annoying the way the camera is so often directed towards the least populated area of the stand/terrace for TV coverage.
Makes it look like there is nobody actually at the game.

Used to drive me mad when they did that at Casement Park. MacRory Cup or National League games with 10,000 people at them, but instead they looked like Irish League crowds.

[Croí na hÉireann]

It's really annoying the way the camera is so often directed towards the least populated area of the stand/terrace for TV coverage.
Makes it look like there is nobody actually at the game.

Used to drive me mad when they did that at Casement Park. MacRory Cup or National League games with 10,000 people at them, but instead they looked like Irish League crowds.

Remember this coming up years ago and there was a fellow from TG4 on here who posted that they always tried to film with the crowd in the background where it was in any way possible. Sky probably have more money to throw at the problem and hopefully whatever facility they install will be left for TG4 to use next year.

[BennyHarp]

It's really annoying the way the camera is so often directed towards the least populated area of the stand/terrace for TV coverage.
Makes it look like there is nobody actually at the game.

Used to drive me mad when they did that at Casement Park. MacRory Cup or National League games with 10,000 people at them, but instead they looked like Irish League crowds.

I remember being at a MacRory cup final in Coalisland in the 90s and the stewards were ushering supporters to the opposite side of the ground to the cameras so the ground looked more full. The comments were that we had to make it look like we had a bigger crowd than the rugby schools final which was also being shown live on BBCni.

[Sidney]

It's really annoying the way the camera is so often directed towards the least populated area of the stand/terrace for TV coverage.
Makes it look like there is nobody actually at the game.

Camera angles have been changed to the opposite side of the ground to where they previously were at several GAA grounds in the last 15/20 years.

Clones (where they'd be better off changing back to the original angle), Breffni Park, Casement Park, Armagh, Omagh, Wexford Park, Navan, the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick for TV3's first match there, Croke Park for Ladies' finals.

[Walter Cronc]

I thought it was only a free trial last week but it seems its one month!

It's week two of the month-long free worldwide trial on RTÉ Player in association with GAAGO, and this week features a football and hurling double-header from Ulster and Munster on Sunday, 25 May.

First into action are Donegal and Derry in the Ulster Football Championship. Jim McGuinness' Donegal will be looking to put a disappointing 2013 behind them and take the first steps towards regaining Sam Maguire. Derry have been buoyed by an impressive Allianz League campaign and will hope to build on their promising early-season form. Throw-in at Celtic Park is at 14:00 (Irish time).

We then switch codes as the Munster Hurling Championship gets underway at Semple Stadium. Last year's beaten All-Ireland finalists Cork will be hoping to go all the way this year, and they face a Waterford who, although in transition, will be confident they can overturn JBM's Rebels. The action begins in Thurles at 16:00 (Irish time).

Coverage this weekend gets underway at 13:30 (Irish time) on RTÉ Two and RTÉ Player.

Watch in the comfort of your own home worldwide on RTÉ Player as part of our one month GAAGO free trial. Simply log on and view at www.rte.ie/player