UTV & BBC & RTE & TV3

[Rocky Mc Guigan]

Have to say Paul Early on TV3 gave the prediction of all pundits of the weekend. After 69 mins and the scores level in the Connacht Final he predicted that one of the 2 teams could win by a point or else it could be a draw. Mind blowing in his accuracy

[Jinxy]

What's up with Eugene Magee on the TV3 coverage?
He just stares at the desk while he's talking with a puss on him like he has a bad dose of piles.

[tyroneboi]

What's up with Eugene Magee on the TV3 coverage?
He just stares at the desk while he's talking with a puss on him like he has a bad dose of piles.

He looks as if he doesn't want to be there and couldnt give a flying f**k who wins or loses!

[Jinxy]

He smiled at one point after the Meath-Dublin game and I nearly fell off the chair with the shock.

[Hoof Hearted]

TV3 today after the Connaught Final didnt get back from the adds on time to see the presentation, and when the winning captain was speaking, Peter Canavan was talking. Pure crap.

[sandwiches_in_the_boot]

TV3 today after the Connaught Final didnt get back from the adds on time to see the presentation, and when the winning captain was speaking, Peter Canavan was talking. Pure crap.

Would you rather listen to it on the radio? Wise up. Matt and Peter are beter media performers than some of those RTE jokers. GAA viewers don't know how spoiled they are.

[Jinxy]

Have to say the TV3 panel are far better than the RTE crowd.
They actually analyse the match instead of coming out with sh*te like "This was a Jedward type of game" (Spillane).

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Was reading match report on Leinster Munster in Star on Monday. The rugby reporter quoted the top watched programmes ever on tg4 (Celtic v Barcelona & NFL finals). He said that the viewing figures this week would make for interesting reading and that domestic rugby audiences could now take over gaa and Celtic soocer. Just noticed there on that sportnews website that they got an average audience fof 166,000 -
http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/2010/10/05/high-tv-audience-for-leinster-v-munster-magners-league-rugby/
Searched to see what best gaa show was on tg4 and it was league finals which had average audience of 220,000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_(Ireland)

Also thought it was interesting on tg4 website that last week that Tyrone Dublin ladies final got 5 times audience share last week compared to live coverage of Connacht Ulster. Think these figures are interesting when you consider coverage given to both sports by RTE and newspapers especially from October to May.

[orangeman]

Is the GAA season over ? Nothing newsworthy at the minute ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/default.stm

[Hoof Hearted]

Is the GAA season over ? Nothing newsworthy at the minute ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/default.stm

wait until C/more + Omagh have a bit of a dust up on Sat, then tune into BBC Newsline on Monday and it will be headlines

[fer fox ache]

Lads apres match did the definitive take on BBC NI's sport coverage back in 2008. Had me pishing me bags laughing in work once again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kN15IZGeMg

[Maguire01]

I caught a bit of Nolan when I was in the car this morning. Some fella had rang up and was giving off to Nolan about how the BBC's coverage of local soccer was disgraceful. He was telling how he stayed up to watch the news one night trecently to hear a result and they couldn't even read out the scores, and how there was no regular programme covering local soccer. He didn't mention the GAA but alluded to the comparison with what other sports get.

Now clearly he's biased, but probably no more than some people are on here. It's just interesting to hear another perception. The broadcasters - and in particular it seems, the BBC - clearly can't win.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

It didn't show much action but thought the gaa review of the year on rte was pretty good last night. Some decent goals in the goal of the year comp on tg4 to.

[The Worker]

It didn't show much action but thought the gaa review of the year on rte was pretty good last night. Some decent goals in the goal of the year comp on tg4 to.

pity the bbc doesnt do a show like this!

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Hurling final draws biggest audience for RTÉ
In this section »
Gaelic previewsLyng busy searching for a new lease of lifeSEÁN MORAN

GAELIC GAMES: TELEVISION AUDIENCE figures released by RTÉ show Gaelic games accounted for three of the four most-watched sports broadcasts of 2010. All told, there are four GAA fixtures, four rugby internationals and two soccer internationals in the top 10.



Last September's All-Ireland hurling final between Tipperary and Kilkenny attracted 979,000 viewers and was watched by more people than any other RTÉ programme apart from The Late Late Toy Show in December.

Number two in the sports list was the All-Ireland football final (770,000) between Cork and Down, a slightly unusual pecking order in that, according to RTÉ, football finals would draw bigger audiences seven years out of 10.

Third is the World Cup final (762,000), between Spain and the Netherlands in July, and one place behind, the Cork-Dublin All-Ireland semi-final in August (629,000).

"These are very good numbers for us and clearly show the importance of sport to the viewing public," was the reaction of Ryle Nugent, RTÉ group head of sport. "Two of the top 10 sports programmes are also in the overall top 10 broadcasts and the World Cup final in July is just outside at number 11."

Given the World Cup final was also being screened on BBC and UTV and the rugby internationals on BBC, RTÉ's figures held up in the face of that competition (unofficial estimates put the ratios between RTÉ and other channels showing the same events as varying between 5:1 and 10:1).

"From our perspective it was very heartening that the national games were so well received," says Nugent, "and that in respect of other sports, 60 per cent of the top 10, we had significant competition in our marketplace from the best funded and most technologically advanced sports broadcasters in Europe, if not in the world.

"So, credit goes to the editorial and production teams for making programmes the Irish public wants to watch and in 60 per cent of cases had significant competitive choice."

Commenting on the strong showing of the hurling final, Nugent said the historical nature of the match had drawn in audience interest from beyond the dedicated sports viewer.

"When a significant event comes along and everybody's talking about it then people tune in to watch it. The hurling final is a perfect example of that. Kilkenny's five-in-a-row is what it was about. It went beyond being a sports story and became a national event, and although All-Ireland finals are always there or thereabouts, that's why the hurling final attracted even more interest than usual."

The figures also demonstrate the growing popularity of rugby, which in 2003 – the year before Ireland won its first Triple Crown of the professional era – could only manage one broadcast in the top 10 (the Grand Slam decider against England came fifth in the list with 504,000).

In 2010, Ireland's Six Nations matches against France, England and Scotland, as well as the November international against New Zealand, were in at numbers four, five, six and 10 respectively.

"Since the structure of the professional game emerged in the Magners League, the Heineken Cup, the Six Nations and the World Cup that means that rugby isn't just present for five weeks of the year," Nugent said. "Rugby is the sport that's developed its structures to the greatest extent over the past 10 or 15 years and the audience has followed."

Although soccer's representation by only two matches is low, the nature of last year distorted the picture a bit.

There were no qualification-defining internationals in the spring, as it was a World Cup year, and the current qualification group is short of box-office appeal. A year previously the World Cup qualifiers against Italy and France were among the most watched sports events of 2009.

THE third national GAA programme and memorabilia collectors' fair takes place today at the Cardinal Ó Fiaich Library and Archive in Armagh (10.30am). There is no charge for entry.