GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[orangeman]

The brains behind the deal

The deal makers

Peter McKenna


(GAA commercial and Croke Park stadium director)

A native of Longford and a chemical engineering graduate from UCD, he joined the GAA in 2001 as Croke Park stadium director, having previously been chief executive of Smurfit Publishing and Design. His role was extended to GAA commercial director a few years ago. He won the Marketer of the Year award last year.

Paraic Duffy

(GAA director-general)

He took over from Liam Mulvihill as director-general in 2008, having previously worked in Croke Park as player welfare manager. Prior to that, he was principal of St Macartan's College, Monaghan. He served in a number of positions, including chairman, on the Monaghan County Board and later on various national committees, before becoming a full-time GAA employee in 2006.

Liam O'Neill

(GAA president)

A native of Trumera, Co Laois, he took over as president from Christy Cooney in April 2012 after a lengthy administrative career in Laois and Leinster, while also serving on several national committees.

[orangeman]

You boys against the Sky deal are irrational but it will fade in time and there's no need for medication.



'Irrational' Sky deal criticism will fade when benefits seen – McKenna

GAA Commercial Director Peter McKenna
MARTIN BREHENY – PUBLISHED 05 APRIL 2014 02:30 AM

GAA commercial director Peter McKenna has described some of the criticism of the GAA's deal with Sky Sports as "irrational" and believes that when the overall package, which also includes much wider TV access to Irish people living abroad, works its way through this season the benefits will become apparent.


"It's something like Rule 42. Many people were opposed to opening Croke Park to rugby and soccer but once it happened, the advantages quickly became clear," he said.

"What we've done with the new TV deal is to move ever so slightly in a different direction, but for all the right reasons.

"Obviously people will react to change but we've got to keep things in perspective. Almost 100 games will still be available free to air on RTE and TG4 every year."

McKenna believes that Sky will add an exciting new dimension to championship coverage, and rejects claims that the GAA has sold out to the new arrival.

"Sky have exclusive access to 14 games only – it's not as if they have everything. They will bring their own brand of innovation to covering hurling and football, which will be very interesting.

"I would ask people to give it a chance. We have struck a deal which we believe to be in the GAA's best overall interest."

TV3 were the big losers in the new arrangement, forced out by Sky Sports after six years as RTE's junior partner for championship coverage.

Despite a TV3 statement which claimed that their bid had "been superseded by the GAA's preference for a pay television strategy", McKenna said the station had been gracious.

"The hardest thing in the whole process was that we couldn't find a slot for TV3," he said. The new package is believed to be worth around €32m over three years.

[Mayo Mick]

GAA commercial director Peter McKenna has described some of the criticism of the GAA's deal with Sky Sports as "irrational"

Usually find people who disagree with my views are irrational.

[bridgegael]

looking forward to soccer GAAAM when it starts

[Catch and Kick]

Much is made of the promotional aspect of the deal and the benefits that trickle down to our clubs.
With almost a third of the games now going to pay per view, how is this promoting the game as best we can where it matters most - here in Ireland? The GAA is now contributing to a two tier society - the haves and the have nots. You are welcome to view our games if you can pay for it. If you cannot pay that's fine. Cheerio. Oh and would you mind marking the pitch next week?
The main 'market' for promotion is here at home; we have now disenfranchised the majority of people from 1/3 of the games. You can say they wouldn't see them if they weren't covered but the fact is they are being covered.
I am dubious about the over seas promotion. Looks to me like a lot of junkets for GAA ambassadors...no doubt there is great work being done on the ground by over seas clubs but there is a select few in the GAA admin swanning around the world 'promoting/supporting' what will always be a miniscule international dimension.
The GAA has become masters of the Spin.

As regards the trickle down, hmmm, 80% to Clubs and County Boards. I'd like to see that broken down between Clubs and County Boards - Clubs are getting very very  little direct support from Croke Park. You can argue that money spent on games promotion and coaching is direct investment but it needs an overhaul as it is largely ineffective in most urban areas. There is a huge percentage of children not playing our games. And it is getting worse instead of better.

[BennyHarp]

I'm in the UK. Cannot see the benefit of Sky coverage for us Brit based Gaels. As if we are suddenly able to see the match through the benevolence of the GAA and Sky! Premiersports is doing the job at the moment at 9.99 at month and cancel whenever you want like I did when Sept finished and started again in Feb for league.
A lot of lads over here are working at bits and pieces. There's ould lads who have been on the roads for 40 years. I would say most are not set up at home with Sky tv already running. The local Irish boozer is the hub for GAA coverage which has had it for years between Setanta and 'dodgy boxes', there's not many missing out between that and premiersports I'd imagine.
So who is going to benefit in the UK from this? Are regular non-Irish pubs going to fire on Monaghan v Down or whatever for lack of anything else on the telly? Are they feck-SSN and racing on as normal. Heaps of tans are not going to be converted just cos the Gah is on SS4 or wherever. And the Irish can already watch it. So the benefits are improved 'punditry' (the game is the attraction lads btw) and er.......

Premier Sports are a joke, their coverage is unreliable and they often shift GAA coverage to show NASCAR or the like. The amount of times I set my sky plus to tape games and the Sunday game and found myself watching Ice Hockey was beyond a joke. Oh and just as an example, the Tyrone v Dublin league game isn't covered live tomorrow because NASCAR highlights are on. But it's ok, they are showing the game deffered, at the convenient time of 2pm on Monday afternoon. If you are happy with this level of service then fair enough, but I think we deserved a bit better from our pay per view channels.

[Orangemac]

May have been discussed already but one benefit from this is real competition for RTE, never mind live games, if Sky provide decent highlights coverage of all counties games rather than 30 seconds on the Sunday game surely that is a good thing.

[armaghniac]

Boys like our friend here haven't a clue. He's like the J1ers who showed up at a GAA stall that I set up in San Francisco one time, they were new in town and I don't think they'd traveled before. I was chatting to them while a woman appeared, looked at the posters and asked what game this is and asked how it's played. One of the young lads piped up (talking at a mile a minute in an impregnable Cork accent) "you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly." Not exactly as clear as Ikea assembly instructions.

Ah yes, the sophisticated Irish Americans being shown up by uncouth peasants from the oul sod , who'd never "traveled" before, turning up and being an embarrassment. It was ever thus, superiority and a fancy accent requires only 7 hours on a plane.

[muppet]

It's painful to watch, isn't it? 

You see this shows you the difference between GAA promoters in Ireland (many of whom probably don't get out of the country much) and those of us who promote the game elsewhere. We know how the game looks to first-time viewers because we have to look at it through their eyes when we explain it to them.  Boys like our friend here haven't a clue. He's like the J1ers who showed up at a GAA stall that I set up in San Francisco one time, they were new in town and I don't think they'd traveled before. I was chatting to them while a woman appeared, looked at the posters and asked what game this is and asked how it's played. One of the young lads piped up (talking at a mile a minute in an impregnable Cork accent) "you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly." Not exactly as clear as Ikea assembly instructions.

I know Cork people who give this answer to every question.

Q: Can you describe traditional Cork ground hurling?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: How's the mot?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: What's this story about gay porn?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: Any advice for Sky on their Gaa coverage?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: The Responsorial Psalm, and the response is.....
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

[Syferus]

Curran: Sky deal will make GAA sexy
05 April 2014

St Brigid's Shane Curran celebrates a late goal.Shane Curran has welcomed the GAA's TV rights deal with Sky Sports.

Writing in his Westmeath Independent column, the former Roscommon goalkeeper believes Sky's coverage will help to glamourise the national games.

"Sky's coverage will give the GAA an element of sexiness," he predicts.

"Okay, we don't want to see 20 scantily-clad women parading around the Croke Park pitch, but the perception of half-time or pre-match entertainment here is appalling. I don't want to hear another rendition of 'The West's Awake' when a Connacht team plays in Croke Park, or 'Limerick You're a Lady' when the Treaty County appear at headquarters.

"This type of thing needs to be jazzed-up and looked at in a modern light.

"Sky will help to package the whole product in a modern and more attractive way. Nobody wants to see the GAA become too over-the-top, and it has to retain its core values. I think the involvement of Sky will represent a great day for Gaelic games and it will further enhance the product both here and around the world."

The Castlerea man is right yet again.

[Mayo Mick]

The Castlerea man is right yet again

I'd say if he said the opposite you would also say he is right.

[seafoid]

It's painful to watch, isn't it? 

You see this shows you the difference between GAA promoters in Ireland (many of whom probably don't get out of the country much) and those of us who promote the game elsewhere. We know how the game looks to first-time viewers because we have to look at it through their eyes when we explain it to them.  Boys like our friend here haven't a clue. He's like the J1ers who showed up at a GAA stall that I set up in San Francisco one time, they were new in town and I don't think they'd traveled before. I was chatting to them while a woman appeared, looked at the posters and asked what game this is and asked how it's played. One of the young lads piped up (talking at a mile a minute in an impregnable Cork accent) "you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly." Not exactly as clear as Ikea assembly instructions.

I know Cork people who give this answer to every question.

Q: Can you describe traditional Cork ground hurling?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: How's the mot?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: What's this story about gay porn?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: Any advice for Sky on their Gaa coverage?
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

Q: The Responsorial Psalm, and the response is.....
A: you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you let fly.

you stick to your man, you get in, you get the ball and you execute a short pass, retaining possession while the fella beside you does a dummy run boy

[IolarCoisCuain]

Curran: Sky deal will make GAA sexy
05 April 2014

St Brigid's Shane Curran celebrates a late goal.Shane Curran has welcomed the GAA's TV rights deal with Sky Sports.

Writing in his Westmeath Independent column, the former Roscommon goalkeeper believes Sky's coverage will help to glamourise the national games.

"Sky's coverage will give the GAA an element of sexiness," he predicts.

"Okay, we don't want to see 20 scantily-clad women parading around the Croke Park pitch, but the perception of half-time or pre-match entertainment here is appalling. I don't want to hear another rendition of 'The West's Awake' when a Connacht team plays in Croke Park, or 'Limerick You're a Lady' when the Treaty County appear at headquarters.

"This type of thing needs to be jazzed-up and looked at in a modern light.

"Sky will help to package the whole product in a modern and more attractive way. Nobody wants to see the GAA become too over-the-top, and it has to retain its core values. I think the involvement of Sky will represent a great day for Gaelic games and it will further enhance the product both here and around the world."

The Castlerea man is right yet again.

God forbid, Cake. God forbid.

[theskull1]

So the games they'll share with RTE

...will RTE be able to show these games on free view up here in the 6 counties?

The champions league games on RTE dont .

[easytiger95]

All lot I agree with there Fionn, but I think your analysis is slightly skewed with regard to ratings on SS3.
I'll preface this by saying that I worked on a subscription channel for many years. And the first thing that matters to a subscription channel in terms of revenue are subscriptions, second is programme sponsorship and third (and it is always the revenue source that comes in under expectation) is between programme advertising.

Subscription channels (whether they are Sky or Setanta) cannot and do not rely on ratings. If they do, they will not last very long. So Sky will look at GAA not in terms of how many will watch, but how many they can induce to subscribe - they obviously think there is a business case for this. Given how much churn there has been with recession, people dumping their subs or scaling them back, often the acquisition of just one sport can be the tipping point to get them back. GAA might be that for a few thousand people - remember they don't need hundreds of thousands watching for it to be viable.

Just on SS3 ratings, Sky have pursued a policy of branding their channels over the past few years - so football appears mainly on SS1, cricket on SS2, golf on SS4. You don't see them moving the Ashes off SS2 to SS1 for it to get more viewers - the same with the golf. When you get a subscription you get all 4 - I don't think Sky are looking at SS3 as a ratings graveyard for GAA - I think during the summer, it just means that SS2 will be busy with cricket, SS4 with golf, and there is no point putting it on SS1 as there will be clashes when the Premier League returns in August.

Lastly, there has been comparisons (not by you Fionn!) of the GAA with speedway, netball etc. This misses the point by a fair way. TV rights for those sports would ve very cheap, non existent in some cases - they are practically begging for Sky coverage. With the GAA, Sky entered a competitive rights market and spent a lot of money (especially given the uncertainty surrounding Heineken Cup and the their loss of the Champions League) for a sports package that it is hugely important to Ireland - a territory that is being bitterly contested by themselves and BT in both TV subs and broadband packages (I'm including UPC as the BT proxy here). They have to make a big deal of it - maybe not as big as Premier League of course, but certainly you'd hope the production values would be on a par with their Heineken Cup coverage.