GaaGo

[onefineday]

Kerry v Donegal to be shown on gaa+ at 3.00pm on a Saturday.
Cork v Meath to follow on gaa+ at 5.00pm

And then RTE get the big one at 7.30 - Galway v Kildare.

How's that for games promotion to the wider public and progressing the stated overriding objective of "promotion of gaelic games, culture and life long participation...".

Promotion of gaelic games does not mean everything is free all of the time. Is charging at the gate any different?
So much nonsense hyperbole around this. Gaa+ is available to a lot lot more gaelic people than RTE.

No offence, but the comment that gaa+ is available to a lot more gaelic people than rte is laughable.
I think what you're trying to say is that true gaelic people (who qualifies I'm not sure) will have gaa+, so what platform games are on is largely irrelevant to them. Which is exactly the point I'm making on promotion - the first real battle of true contenders, in a new format that few non gaelic people understand will be on viewable on a platform with a very, very limited numbers of domestic subscribers. If this were the prime time Saturday night game on terrestrial tv which it should be, it could easily be one of the top viewed programmes of the week with many multiples of viewers above what it will get. How do you think people become 'gaelic people'? By converting the casual viewer, by exposing your product, by making it desirable to play and attend because it's in the public consciousness.
Instead in a disappointingly shortsighted, but predictable effort to drive subscriptions to their new product it's only available on gaa+.  Luckily many probably have their dodgy boxes or nobody would get to see it!!

[onefineday]

There's a conversation to be had on the GAA's decision to put the biggest game of the football championship on free to air for sheer exposure, but I don't get people expecting the best games to be on RTE and for GAA+ to be some kind of spill-over service for the best of the rest games.

For GAA+ to be a success, they need big games to sell the service and to cover its costs. We can see GAA+ have high production values - they're not just throwing out 1-2 camera productions with commentary. Its a quality production with multiple cameras, on-site presentation, production teams etc. which comes at a heavy cost - and €95 for 40 games is very decent IMO.

RTE still bring over ~35 live games per season. There's no right for the best games to be free-to-air. And GAA+ couldn't bring us 40 additional games per season if it did.

I assume that it's a production company who take care of the technical side of things now, not sure if that's a change from when rte had a stake, but that might explain the difference in quality.

I disagree to a large extent, I do expect the bigger games to be on terrestrial tv and I think the gaa+ role should be to provide coverage of the lower profile games. I think if they did that in a similar vein to the likes of clubber, more coverage and lower quality, subscriptions could increase massively.

Surely the TV rights package would be worth substantially more if the successful bidder had first option on each weekend's games. In terms of a business model and revenue vs risk, it would surely make sense to maximise revenues from a low risk TV rights sale rather than try the current risk laden approach.

I'm not against pay-tv for gaa games, but I cannot understand why they haven't managed to link up with a terrestrial tv partner to have the service carried by a provider. Hidden away on a streaming device means no casual viewers and that's not good for any sport.
Being carried on a terrestrial platform would also get around the technical challenges that gaa+ presents to many people. I had to drive 50 miles to set up my father in law's tv last week so that he could watch the hurling on the big screen (and I fear I might have to do the same this weekend).

Ultimately I think the current approach is flawed and needs to be revisited. Maximising viewing numbers should be the goal and achieving that will drive the revenues that sustain the organisation into the future.

[statto]

Gaa+ provide a good service and it works out at like £82 per year for 40 games which I would watch the majority.  It is a bit pricey for one off games and that is probably why they encourage subscribers to get the package deal. 

Armagh TV for example will charge you £5 for a one off game league game in (another good service)Armagh. 

Fair play to people making our games as accessible as possible.

If you are following successful teams and have a few young children taking them to every game can be quite costly especially with the condensed season.

[Baile Brigín 2]

The GAA have shafted RTE here.

RTE sport had to cut it's cloth and let loads of sport coverage go. There is considerably less soccer, rugby, golf, horse racing and so on. There is practically no minority sport coverage outside of the Olympics.

RTE sport put all their eggs in the GAA basket, and reclassified it as culture in order to get other departments to help pay for it.

Now the GAA are keeping the best games and leaving RTE with at best mediocre matches.

The obvious risk here is RTE will do their sums and slash the offer next time out if it is based on no Munster hurling or Kerry football.

[AustinPowers]

I'd be annoyed if it was my own team behind a paywall , so  I'm not bothered this time 

Would I tune in to watch Kerry Donegal if it was  on RTE? If  I was at home at the time , yes. But the highlights later will do  for me

If your team reaches the later stages , how many  matches are likely to be on GAA+ ? Two, maybe three? What's that... £25? £35?

You could spend  the £80/90 or whatever it is , for the season ticket.  I know I wouldn't get the value  of it as I wouldn't  be free to watch every game , nor would I want to.  A lot of the time , the highlights are enough

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

[RedHand88]

I've always found GAAgo coverage better than RTE anyway.

[Baile Brigín 2]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

[armaghniac]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

Are there less free to air games than before?  And of course the GAA tries to stop dodgy boxes as it also would a crooked gateman taking cash to let people in.

[statto]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

There are alot more GAA games available to view than in years gone by and that is a positive thing for me. 

You get nothing for free these days and to pay a few quid to watch a game have no issues with it. If people don't want to do that there will be free to air highlights to view the game or can go to local pub which should have it. 

[Baile Brigín 2]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

Are there less free to air games than before?  And of course the GAA tries to stop dodgy boxes as it also would a crooked gateman taking cash to let people in.

I think so, but the issue is the quality of games at this time of year. The GAA are holding the better games behind a paywall and RTE are left with games that were never previously in consideration for TV.

I get that, but suddenly ppv is a core part of the GAA and they are happy to help jail people. It's a fairly significant and sudden culture change

[Baile Brigín 2]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

There are alot more GAA games available to view than in years gone by and that is a positive thing for me. 

You get nothing for free these days and to pay a few quid to watch a game have no issues with it. If people don't want to do that there will be free to air highlights to view the game or can go to local pub which should have it.

There is a lot more everything to view. That's the Internet for you.

My point is that 'watch it in the pub then' became life quickly and without much debate.

There is a comparison with LoiTV here. RTE screwed soccer over, refused to show contracted games. So the LoI/FAI set up a subscription service. Every LoI men's and women's game plus European games where possible. Since Virgin took over they show a televised game a week, but crucially they choose the game. That is generally the weekends big match because the FAI had the wit to balance monetisation with promoting the game.

The GAA have got this balance wrong and it is a significant risk in the medium term. RTE are seething and won't pay what they are paying next time round. So there is a chance most of what RTE show now also goes behind a paywall. Then the boxing comparisons start.

[AustinPowers]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

Are there less free to air games than before?  And of course the GAA tries to stop dodgy boxes as it also would a crooked gateman taking cash to let people in.

I think so, but the issue is the quality of games at this time of year. The GAA are holding the better games behind a paywall and RTE are left with games that were never previously in consideration for TV.

I get that, but suddenly ppv is a core part of the GAA and they are happy to help jail people. It's a fairly significant and sudden culture change

What is, pay per view or  helping to  jail people?

[RedHand88]

Is the TV licence not a paywall?

[Baile Brigín 2]

I understand the frustration of some , but £13 or £14 a game is  a lot less than what you'd pay to attend a match. It would take £100 minimum to bring the  average family to a match , and that's only the tickets and  fuel.

£14 wouldn't take the average Donegal  fan to Bundoran  in diesel never mind the whole cut to Killarney.

But the problem is previous free to air games are now behind a paywall and the GAA are joining sky in prosecution of dodgy boxes.

This seems to just be accepted.

Are there less free to air games than before?  And of course the GAA tries to stop dodgy boxes as it also would a crooked gateman taking cash to let people in.

I think so, but the issue is the quality of games at this time of year. The GAA are holding the better games behind a paywall and RTE are left with games that were never previously in consideration for TV.

I get that, but suddenly ppv is a core part of the GAA and they are happy to help jail people. It's a fairly significant and sudden culture change

What is, pay per view or  helping to  jail people?

Both

[Baile Brigín 2]

Is the TV licence not a paywall?

So to be clear, because of the TV licence PPV in the GAA, or specifically how they are doing it, is ok?