GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[AZOffaly]

Lookit, I can understand why people are upset at this development. And I know the people who feel strongly about it have very good reasons in their own minds for doing so. But I consider myself a strong supporter of the GAA. One of those volunteers we all hear about, and someone whose whole life has revolved around the GAA. And I can see this as a positive development for the GAA in terms of increasing exposure, and yes, increasing revenue from the spin offs. I would prefer if every game was free on TV for everyone, but unfotunately in my opinion RTE have treated the games with disdain, especially football, and I think Sky will put a new approach and a new spin on this.

I would not like to lose any more games to Sky, personally, or I should say I would not like to reduce the Free to Air number any more. If sky want to pick up some games not on RTE's slate, then I'd be happy with that.

But I think we need to look at this as an opportunity to get more exposure in the UK, maybe make more money for the GAA from sponsorship deals etc with that added exposure, and take that money and use if for something tangible in our clubs.

[DuffleKing]

I'm a Gael who lives on the Island of Ireland who couldn't see any games televised by TV3. For many years the only way I could see games on RTE was on the Sky Ireland platform (acquired at additional expense), I can still only get RTE on Sky, RTE geoblocks RTE player to me even though I live on the Island of Ireland. I expect Sky to promote the games they'll cover instead of denigrating them. Hopefully this will put a rocket under RTE. Personally ICGAF if Sky got all the games.

ps I pay setanta to watch league games because I want to.  Its my choice, i don't expect to be handed everything for free.

+1

[AZOffaly]

Anyone living in Ireland who wants to see a certain 9 games games (many of which didn't even exist a few years ago), don't have a subscription and are too lazy/unable to get to the actual match  - losers

You really are a most hateful and unlikable soul, what about people who lived for GAA but now in later life have mobility issues and no intention of paying 30 quid a month of their pension for the ability to watch the matches.

What about the scores of games not on any television? Again, I understand the frustration, but people are blowing it out of proportion I think. There are several Leinster Championship games in football and hurling that won't be on any TV channel. Is this a disgrace as well?

[passedit]

Personally ICGAF if Sky got all the games.

got mine, f**k you eh?

Who GAF when I couldn't get RTE or TV3 in my part of Ireland. Who was ranting on Liveline when broadcast rights were given to TV companies who don't broadcast to the whole Island?

Plenty people got theirs and F**k me eh?

[Sidney]

Wasnt so long ago his Club Tyrone were going around the states with their caps out looking finance.  No problem taking it of Paddy in New York who may not have it to give but a crime to take it of sky.  Does Mr Conway not think this money will be reinvested in the GAA or does he think the top brass are going to line their pockets?

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

Do you have a problem with having to pay in to see your own club play a county championship match? Or should that be free as well?

[BennyHarp]

Anyone living in Ireland who wants to see a certain 9 games games (many of which didn't even exist a few years ago), don't have a subscription and are too lazy/unable to get to the actual match  - losers

You really are a most hateful and unlikable soul, what about people who lived for GAA but now in later life have mobility issues and no intention of paying 30 quid a month of their pension for the ability to watch the matches.

Ah ffs - lads it's only a few games, will ye stop this 'would someone think of the children' shite. We appear to have an inherent need to be outraged. Think Thierry Henry's handball, Brian O'Driscoll during the Lions tour, Roy Keane etc etc.

[Sidney]

Can you not see the difference between a voluntary donation to the GAA and forcing members to part with money to get past a pay wall to view their own games? The whole point of his Club Tyrone model is that it's done voluntarily and without expecting anything in return. It called the ethos of the GAA, or possibly former ethos at this stage.

you are wasting your time roney.
there is nothing wrong with making money for the gaa. but not at any price. club sponsorships are nearly always of local benefit with many sponsors either being actively involved with their club. entrance money into games is no different from paying to watch a play by a local amateur drama group, clubs and counties try to raise funds and get the best deals. but if there is more going out than coming in then you must cut your cloth as you need.
but there are principles that you, me and many others have where money does not go above everything else. as i have said i refuse to give any money to the murdoch empire. look at the front page of the irish sun today for one very small reason why.
the problem is that ireland is and has been full of gombeen men with very few morals and principles, who would sell their mothers if there was a few bob in it for them. foreigners know this when they deal with irish people and companies on how to deal with us. and the smarter gombeens also know this. the dail is full of them, getting elected by less smart gombeens who will happily sell their vote to get a personal favour over money going towards hospitals and education. got mine, f**k you.
when people with principles start to stand up and make their voice heard, it scares the gombeen, they call them backwards, stupid, anti business, against the gaa. all the shit of the day like that fianna fail threw at people who warned of a property bubble a decade ago. maybe we should commit suicide?
remember when you do a deal with sky, when they say jump you ask 'how high'?

Not arguments. Merely emotive bluster. Would you be saying the same thing if it was BT Sport who had bought the rights?

In 1995 when live TV for the provincial championships was mooted, the same type of bluster was used to argue against it. It would damage the club game, it would damage attendances at matches screened live.

I'd venture that a lot of the same people who were scaremongering back in 1995 about the supposed negative effect of live TV are those scaremongering again about this deal.

[BennyHarp]

Personally ICGAF if Sky got all the games.

got mine, f**k you eh?

Which is the same attitude you took whilst he couldn't get the games on TV3?

[Sidney]

Anyone living in Ireland who wants to see a certain 9 games games (many of which didn't even exist a few years ago), don't have a subscription and are too lazy/unable to get to the actual match  - losers

You really are a most hateful and unlikable soul, what about people who lived for GAA but now in later life have mobility issues and no intention of paying 30 quid a month of their pension for the ability to watch the matches.

Ah ffs - lads it's only a few games, will ye stop this 'would someone think of the children' shite. We appear to have an inherent need to be outraged. Think Thierry Henry's handball, Brian O'Driscoll during the Lions tour, Roy Keane etc etc.

Don't forget Mary Byrne being voted off X-Factor.

[BennyHarp]

Anyone living in Ireland who wants to see a certain 9 games games (many of which didn't even exist a few years ago), don't have a subscription and are too lazy/unable to get to the actual match  - losers

You really are a most hateful and unlikable soul, what about people who lived for GAA but now in later life have mobility issues and no intention of paying 30 quid a month of their pension for the ability to watch the matches.

Ah ffs - lads it's only a few games, will ye stop this 'would someone think of the children' shite. We appear to have an inherent need to be outraged. Think Thierry Henry's handball, Brian O'Driscoll during the Lions tour, Roy Keane etc etc.

Don't forget Mary Byrne being voted off X-Factor.

Sean Cavannaghs rugby tackle

[BennyHarp]

Not arguments. Merely emotive bluster. Would you be saying the same thing if it was BT Sport who had bought the rights?

In 1995 when live TV for the provincial championships was mooted, the same type of bluster was used to argue against it. It would damage the club game, it would damage attendances at matches screened live.

I'd venture that a lot of the same people who were scaremongering back in 1995 about the supposed negative effect of live TV are those scaremongering again about this deal.

by dismissing what i wrtie as 'emotive bluster' proves that gombeens like you have no pride, no principles and no morals except when money is involved. i might not have been too happy with bt sports getting the rights instead, but as far as i am aware the main shareholders of bt have never stood by their outlets making anti irish slurs, whipping up anti irish feelings in britain, cheerleading for bombs to be dropped on innocent people and calling it 'regime change' or the 'war on terror', or knowing that journalists you employ are hacking into mobile answerphones of missing children. i am not a hore that is bought and sold easly.

the idea that live tv games can affect attendance is not just in the gaa. in the six counties and in britain you cannot see any 3 pm game on a saturday in the premier league because the fa fear that attendances at other games would otherwise drop. are the english fa scaremongering for having this broadcast ban in place? but that is just diverting from the real issue.

This thread is some craic now the new lads have come on board. Prime Time - check. Live Line -Check. Now, you take gaaboard and ill phone Stephen Nolan.

[Eamonnca1]

Anyone living in Ireland who wants to see a certain 9 games games (many of which didn't even exist a few years ago), don't have a subscription and are too lazy/unable to get to the actual match  - losers

You really are a most hateful and unlikable soul, what about people who lived for GAA but now in later life have mobility issues and no intention of paying 30 quid a month of their pension for the ability to watch the matches.

There's 31 matches they can watch, which is a whole lot more than was available free to air when they were young.

Next question.

[Eamonnca1]

Personally ICGAF if Sky got all the games.

got mine, f**k you eh?

That's exactly the attitude of many of the whingers who don't seem to care about ex-pat viewers who faced a paywall for years.

[Eamonnca1]

azoffaly i already said that i dont have a problem with gaa games being on a subscription tv channel or even having less games available free to air. my problem is that the gaa have done a deal with a foreign company whose main shareholder has the morals of a sewer rat. so much for the gaa telling clubs and counties to support irish industry as well.
rte really do need a good kick up the arse with their coverage, but an extra deal could have been done without going to sky. setanta or even utv could have been better alternatives.

Setanta saw the GAA as a revenue stream to build their business. Once they got established they positioned themselves as a provider of rugby and Premiership soccer.  Setanta is no charity, they were happy to grab $20/head off GAA volunteers around the world for years. They took RTE's unprofessional presentation and hid the games behind such a high pay-per-view paywall that only die-hard fans got to see them.  Sky will put a proper presentation on the games, won't bad-mouth them, and they'll put them in front of a new audience in a positive light. Setanta is not a better alternative.

[BennyHarp]

This thread is some craic now the new lads have come on board. Prime Time - check. Live Line -Check. Now, you take gaaboard and ill phone Stephen Nolan.

as i said earlier, gombeens get scared when people with principles and morals speak out.

What's your principles? That as long as everyone in Ireland is ok, well feck everyone who has for one reason or another had to emigrate? As long as you get EVERY SINGLE game for FREE, you don't care if the millions of Irish abroad get to see ANY of the games. You have principles for yourself only and the greatest principle you stand up for is the principle of being outraged at every opportunity and insulting anyone who disagrees, by in some way inferring they are less Irish than you. I'm sure  Joe Duffy loves you guys.

Personally ICGAF if Sky got all the games.

got mine, f**k you eh?

That's exactly the attitude of many of the whingers who don't seem to care about ex-pat viewers who faced a paywall for years.

two wrongs dont make a right.

And where was your moral outrage when this wrong was occurring? It didn't impact on you so you didn't care! Principles - my ass!