GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[neilthemac]

This is great stuff. Genuine competition for RTE.

The boys in RTE who've had handy, cosy numbers for the past few years now have to up their game.

Editors, commentators, analysts etc.

[Sidney]

Just as a matter of interest, do people who object to a "foreign company" getting TV rights to the championships, also object to sponsorship deals various branches of the GAA have signed in recent years with foreign companies such as AIG, Vodafone, 02, Etihad and Ladbrokes?

[Mac2]

Did no-one think of Jerry Kiernan in all this, the man must be having a fit.

[orangeman]

Did no-one think of Jerry Kiernan in all this, the man must be having a fit.

Has been admitted to rehab.

[Applesisapples]

Just as a matter of interest, do people who object to a "foreign company" getting TV rights to the championships, also object to sponsorship deals various branches of the GAA have signed in recent years with foreign companies such as AIG, Vodafone, 02, Etihad and Ladbrokes?

Diagio?

[Syferus]

Did no-one think of Jerry Kiernan in all this, the man must be having a fit.

Post of the year.

[ballinaman]

Did no-one think of Jerry Kiernan in all this, the man must be having a fit.

Post of the year.

Tis up there, shamrock shores kent brockman one above is brilliant too.

[Ringfort]

Haven't been following the thread, don't really have time, but my 2 cents is that is negative development. Not disasterous in itself, yet, but Sky is a multinational corporation - purely motivated by pursuit of profit. It will not be good for our games, whose character and ethos, as a multinational corporation that will not give a damn about.

The door is creaking open futher and this to me is another step in the commercialisation of our games. There is very little that money doesn't corrupt. I suppose its a wonder the GAA has lasted as long the way it is.

Debate over the quality of punditry is incredibly short-sighted and its not that long ago that only AI semis and finals were shown live with highlights of the days action on a Sunday evening. The games should be protected by the state in my opinion and not sold out to the highest bidding, satanic, free-marketeer.

British soccer has been destroyed by these bastards.

[thewobbler]

British soccer has been destroyed by these b**tards.

Or alternatively, the only reason why British soccer clubs can compete internationally is because of them?

[roney]

Are Sky involved in bringing the games to audiences outside of the UK and Ireland? It's a genuine question.

[rosnarun]

Haven't been following the thread, don't really have time, but my 2 cents is that is negative development. Not disasterous in itself, yet, but Sky is a multinational corporation - purely motivated by pursuit of profit. It will not be good for our games, whose character and ethos, as a multinational corporation that will not give a damn about.

The door is creaking open futher and this to me is another step in the commercialisation of our games. There is very little that money doesn't corrupt. I suppose its a wonder the GAA has lasted as long the way it is.

Debate over the quality of punditry is incredibly short-sighted and its not that long ago that only AI semis and finals were shown live with highlights of the days action on a Sunday evening. The games should be protected by the state in my opinion and not sold out to the highest bidding, satanic, free-marketeer.

British soccer has been destroyed by these b**tards.

exolain how sky has destroyed english soccer.
Leaving out jealously about players wages.
at the moment the english have the 2nd best attended league in europe and by far and away the highest attended lower leagues anywhere in the world.
and played in stadiums that could hold the world cup at a few weeks notice . there's a tragic reason why that is but that does speak of a league that has been destroyed.
It may be a shite game but it cannot be faulted on an organizational or commercial level

[johnneycool]

Haven't been following the thread, don't really have time, but my 2 cents is that is negative development. Not disasterous in itself, yet, but Sky is a multinational corporation - purely motivated by pursuit of profit. It will not be good for our games, whose character and ethos, as a multinational corporation that will not give a damn about.

The door is creaking open futher and this to me is another step in the commercialisation of our games. There is very little that money doesn't corrupt. I suppose its a wonder the GAA has lasted as long the way it is.

Debate over the quality of punditry is incredibly short-sighted and its not that long ago that only AI semis and finals were shown live with highlights of the days action on a Sunday evening. The games should be protected by the state in my opinion and not sold out to the highest bidding, satanic, free-marketeer.

British soccer has been destroyed by these b**tards.

exolain how sky has destroyed english soccer.
Leaving out jealously about players wages.
at the moment the english have the 2nd best attended league in europe and by far and away the highest attended lower leagues anywhere in the world.
and played in stadiums that could hold the world cup at a few weeks notice . there's a tragic reason why that is but that does speak of a league that has been destroyed.
It may be a shite game but it cannot be faulted on an organizational or commercial level

Global TV rights are keeping English soccer afloat in a big way. Take away the TV rights and most clubs would fold in a week.

[neilthemac]

Sky TV money has created a false economy in the premier league.
Clubs borrow against future earnings.
Players wages are out of control, for the top 20% of players.
Ticket prices have gone way up.
Clubs just buy their way to success, little sustainability, unlike say Germany or Dutch leagues

[Zulu]

Comparisons with soccer are irrelevant, more accurate would be sports like rugby union/league, netball, etc. (what other sports do they show?). Success should also be measured by what we want to get from it. It's obviously not money in this first deal so is it increased international exposure, playing numbers or both?

I suspect a big part of this deal is it's a shot across the bows of RTE and this will hopefully wake them up a bit. The GAA doesn't need RTE half as much as RTE needs the GAA but you wouldn't know that to watch their coverage.

[Mayo Mick]

Shots across bows is a fairly outdated way of resolving issues.
Until GAA develop its own TV platform or equivalent it needs RTE and TG4.