selling out to Rupert?

[blue74]

So what do you all think of the great amatuer organisation selling its soul? I know Offaly GAA finances are just about breaking even if not lossmaking with the OConnor Park debt but should we have to pay 72euro (36euro plus 36euro for sky sports) for the pleasure? Does the extra money outweigh the loss of the free to air rights? I dont think so but others might disagree...

[DAF]

I've no problem with Sky Sports getting rights to show the games as long as these matches are available free to air as-well.If they aren't then the GAA hierarchy need to cop on and realise that whatever extra money would be brought in would be cancelled out by alienating a lot of fans.

[Lone Shark]

That was a somewhat hyperbolic first line there Blue74.

Oddly enough, I'd be happy with this deal from a GAA perspective, and I say that as someone who doesn't have a Sky Subscription and who has no intention of getting one either. The reason being that I don't think for a minute that there should be some sort of divine right that every half decent game be free to air for everyone. All Ireland semi-finals and finals yes, that's a bit different as they're a big cultural occasion for everyone, but if somebody wants to take in a game in the height of summer, most weekends there's a good one taking place somewhere within an hour's drive. It's not long ago that there was just one game shown per Sunday and even at that, there were some Sundays which were skipped. There will still be 41 games broadcast by RTE under this deal, last year there were 45 aired for free in total. It's not as if the armchair supporter is stuck for the want of games to watch.

Of all the things the GAA can be castigated over, wasting money is not one of them. Anyone on here who's involved with a club or a county board knows how important and how difficult it is to raise funds, and how hard it is to keep going back to the same patrons all the time. This is a way of getting extra money from an outside source and if the deal promotes Gaelic Games to a few new people outside of this island into the bargain, well that's just a bonus.

[Anfearban]

Can anyone post a link to the detail of this deal please?

[blue74]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic- ... -1.1740874

here ya go. It seems that 14 matches will be on Sky. By all accounts this could include the leinster football final and both munster hurling semi-finals as this is the package that TV3 had last year. TV3's coverage was woeful but at least it was free to air. Now it wont be.
PS in response to DAF the rights will not be free to air unless something happens at the last minute to pressurise the GAA into making Sky let TG4 show them at the same time and that would mean that Sky would have no point in bidding as it would devalue the whole point of having matches on Sky.

[Daleamar]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic- ... -1.1740874

here ya go. It seems that 14 matches will be on Sky. By all accounts this could include the leinster football final and both munster hurling semi-finals as this is the package that TV3 had last year. TV3's coverage was woeful but at least it was free to air. Now it wont be.
PS in response to DAF the rights will not be free to air unless something happens at the last minute to pressurise the GAA into making Sky let TG4 show them at the same time and that would mean that Sky would have no point in bidding as it would devalue the whole point of having matches on Sky.

Id pay to watch it on Sky rather than have to watch it on TG4... Im all for promoting Irish but the commentary is woeful, regardless of not knowing most of what they are saying, the tone of their voices... painfully hard to listen to.... and its very hard to listen to commentary on the radio at the same time with the new digital age, few second delay.... So if people turn off the sound and listen to the radio, which I would guess than 90% of people do, what is the point of having them on TG4 again?

[DAF]

I find the commentary on TG4 preferable to RTE's and I can only understand bits of TG4's commentary.

[kingscounty]

There was a good skit on the Ian Dempsey show this morning about this, not sure how to put link on here but it should be available on the podcast .

[blue74]

Kilkenny v Offaly is the first game for Sky!

[Killeighman]

We get to show the world how good we are!!

[SearingDrive]

So what do you all think of the great amatuer organisation selling its soul? I know Offaly GAA finances are just about breaking even if not lossmaking with the OConnor Park debt but should we have to pay 72euro (36euro plus 36euro for sky sports) for the pleasure? Does the extra money outweigh the loss of the free to air rights? I dont think so but others might disagree...

Bad decision for the ordinary GAA follower, who are not SKY subscribers, and would like to watch championship games in the comfort of their home. A case of mammon winning out over members and followers. I thought Liam O'Neill was poor on Six One News tonight, explaining the reason for the decision to deal with Ruprt Murdoch's empire. A poster said that followers can drive to a match, if they are not using SKY, but nowadays money is scarce, trips to Gaa games may not be within some family's budget. It's 14 games this year, what will it be in future years?.
Offaly v Kilkenny is on SKY next June.

[SearingDrive]

So what do you all think of the great amatuer organisation selling its soul? I know Offaly GAA finances are just about breaking even if not lossmaking with the OConnor Park debt but should we have to pay 72euro (36euro plus 36euro for sky sports) for the pleasure? Does the extra money outweigh the loss of the free to air rights? I dont think so but others might disagree...

Bad decision for the ordinary GAA follower, who are not SKY subscribers, and would like to watch championship games in the comfort of their home. A case of mammon winning out over members and followers. I thought Liam O'Neill was poor on Six One News tonight, explaining the reason for the decision to deal with Ruprt Murdoch's empire. A poster said that followers can drive to a match, if they are not using SKY, but nowadays money is scarce, trips to Gaa games may not be within some family's budget. It's 14 games this year, what will it be in future years?.
Offaly v Kilkenny is on SKY next June.

[first_touch]

Kilkenny v Offaly is the first game for Sky!

Whatever about paying in to watch this game I certainly wont be paying to watch it on Sky! As Paul Rouse said on Drivetime this evening this is not just the thin end of the wedge it's a good bit up the wedge. It is extremely concerning that people will be denied watching at least one provincial final free to air this year. The arguments I have heard in favour of this deal are very lame. The strongest argument is the one of broadcasting to other countries thereby promoting the games abroad. But surely an alternative broadcaster could have been found that would show games abroad only.

[turk]

Haven't the Gaa already sold league matches to Pay per view setanta sports - welcome to 2007


By the way TG4's coverage is excellent.

[Bord na Mona man]

Haven't the Gaa already sold league matches to Pay per view setanta sports - welcome to 2007


By the way TG4's coverage is excellent.

Selling the rights to Eurosport would have exposed our games to a more eclectic and discerning type of sports fan.