GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[gallsman]

Nothing strange about it. The GAA sold the full yum broadcast rights to Sky. That's the reason it wasn't on BBC or ITV.

Is that why Rachel Wyse presents it?

Haha, good work.

Be interested to see how this initiative works out.

[bennydorano]

Has anyone been following the Chris Kamara and Jeff Stelling videos in the lead up to the final?
They were at it yesterday and were mesmerised apparently about the whole occasion..
Just wait until they see hurling.

I've been following it. Looking forward to seeing the final episode.

Is it on TV or an online thing??

[AZOffaly]

It was an online thing. Have a look here...

https://aib.ie/gaa/blog/2017/07/jeff_and_kammy_episode1_hit_the_road_jeff

[bennydorano]

Good show. Typical Tyronie Glipe cleaning Kamara😁

[Eamonnca1]

I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more coverage, but then bashing the "Evil British / Murdoch-owned" Sky makes for better clickbait:

Sky signs €3m grassroots deal with GAA

Five-year deal aims to reduce drop-out rate from the sport among young GAA players

Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 05:45
Ciarán Hancock

Broadcaster Sky Sports is to invest €3 million over the next five years into a number of grassroots initiatives organised by the GAA.
The pay TV group will launch the GAA Super Games Centres (SGCs) on September 21st. These are aimed at reducing the drop-out rate among 12 to 21 year olds in both football and hurling.

The GAA plans to host 154 SGCs around the country between September and May for both boys and girls.

Up to 25 children will be involved in each centre with the GAA seeking to attract 3,500 participants in year one, and Sky planning to top 20,000 over the five years.The kids will be provided with kits and equipment.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Neal O'Rourke, Sky Ireland's financial director, said: "This is going to be an opportunity to mix genders. The Super Games Centres are going to be held all around the country. Both rural and urban. This is really about getting kids out there playing games, but not necessarily focusing on winning."

In addition, Sky is to partner with the GAA to host its annual one-day youth forum for the same age range. It will take place this year at Croke Park on October 28th.

Conference
Sky is also backing the GAA's two-day games development conference, involving more than 800 leading grassroots coaches, who will come together in January for workshops and seminars.

It is understood that former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, a pundit on Sky's golf coverage and a self-confessed GAA fan, is being lined up for this event.

This sponsorship follows Sky's renewal of its live rights with the GAA for five years out to 2021. This allows it to show 14 games a season and has proved controversial with many GAA members.

"For us, the GAA investment has been fantastic," Mr O'Rourke said, adding that the recent launch of Now TV means fans can buy game passes for €10. "There's no contract with that, there's no commitment to Sky and we believe that's made the games more accessible. If this wasn't working for us we would be reinvesting in rights and we certainly wouldn't be launching this sponsorship."

Nielsen figures show Sky's average audience for its GAA games this season is about 40,000 viewers, up about 11 per cent on 2016. This does not include high-definition viewing, those using Sky Go or Now TV, or those watching in pubs and clubs.

Source

[AZOffaly]

It's on the previous page of this thread I think Eamon.

[Eamonnca1]

Sky just can't win in some people's eyes. They do something good and still get berated.

All-Ireland champion whingers the whole bloody lot of them.

[thewobbler]

Not everyone has Sky.

But if you want to watch a sporting event hooky on the internet, then it's an absolute bonus if it's on Sky. It means that there will be untold streams for it. That's not the case with RTE, TV3 or Setanta.

So inadvertently it opens up Gaelic Games to the entire world. Sky won't be happy about that, and it will never register as a plus in their viewing figures, but the diaspora in every corner of the world has for the past few years finally had an option to watch the All Ireland finals, even if it happens to be through an illegal stream.

Secondly if our main target market beyond Ireland is the U.K, well every half Irish pub in the U.K. now has an opportunity, at no additional cost to their EPL subscription, to drag the Irish into their pubs throughout the summer. Again, it hardly registers on their viewing figures, but those pubs who previously had to install illegal Irish Sky boxes now have it legally and can advertise accordingly.

Last and far from least, the average joe in Ireland. Through Now TV, Sky Sports do streaming to any smart tV for a £7/€10 day pass. If watching your county means anything to you, then this is really far, far from a hefty stipend to watch it sat on your hole in your living room. Or from a shopping mall if your wife has dragged you out.

Begrudgers is right. Sky is good for our games.

[Syferus]

Sky has been a total failure in all but a financial sense. But that seems to be the only thing HQ judges any aspect of the sport on these days.

[AZOffaly]

Sky has been a total failure in all but a financial sense. But that seems to be the only thing HQ judges any aspect of the sport on these days.

I don't think the Sky coverage itself has been a failure. I think it's been very good.

[Syferus]

Sky has been a total failure in all but a financial sense. But that seems to be the only thing HQ judges any aspect of the sport on these days.

I don't think the Sky coverage itself has been a failure. I think it's been very good.

TV3 commentators, analysts. If people are so pea-minded that replacing Matt Cooper with a woman makes them salivate then I dunno what to say. McGuiness was good because he can speak well, not because of anything Sky did.

The production quaility never really lived up to the hype here to be perfectly honest, and it's attracted feck all GAA supporters let alone outside interest. Whereas RTE highlight negatives, Sky paper over them in a style that illicts eye-rolling in much the same way. As bad as what we've always had.

[Eamonnca1]

Sky has been a total failure in all but a financial sense. But that seems to be the only thing HQ judges any aspect of the sport on these days.

So how do you explain all those All-Ireland finals in lower grade competitions played in a mostly empty Croke Park?

[Rossfan]

At least I can listen to the Sky analysts......

[StGallsGAA]

Sky has been a total failure in all but a financial sense. But that seems to be the only thing HQ judges any aspect of the sport on these days.

I don't think the Sky coverage itself has been a failure. I think it's been very good.

TV3 commentators, analysts. If people are so pea-minded that replacing Matt Cooper with a woman makes them salivate then I dunno what to say. McGuiness was good because he can speak well, not because of anything Sky did.

The production quaility never really lived up to the hype here to be perfectly honest, and it's attracted feck all GAA supporters let alone outside interest. Whereas RTE highlight negatives by every team apart from Dublin and Kerry Sky paper over them in a style that illicts eye-rolling in much the same way. As bad as what we've always had.

Fixed that for you..

[Owen Brannigan]

Sky has been a total failure in all but a financial sense. But that seems to be the only thing HQ judges any aspect of the sport on these days.

How much have you watched SKY?  If you find it so objectionable it is not unreasonable to assume you don't actually watch it and so your comments have no credibility.  Your objections to SKY are purely political.

When RTE has put football on RTE1 which doesn't broadcast in HD it is almost unwatchable with its fuzzy broadcast on HD TVs while SKY has always offered HD.