GAA sports and Televison

[Lawrence Reeves]

I was very happy to watch a live GAA football opener live on satellite on Saturday. Although this has little to do with concertina, let me go forward with my thoughts. It was a live television broadcast from Ireland, that I was able to watch in Gainesville Florida. The game was Tyrone ( 2008 football champions) vs Dublin. This was a great event, but no less great than the ability to watch RTE or TG4 live for an arts or music programme would be. If the Irish were able to lighten up on a sports broadcast that was a "national" broadcast, why can't they allow us to see live, or even full screen recordable versions of music shows?

By the way, it was a great game, only two points to determine the winner. Dublin had a very poor start compared to Tyrone. A neon coloured ball, which I imagine was used because this was a live game at night, and the white lights against the neon ball were easier to see. The Tyrone team proved to be a great team, and someone to follow through the rest of the season. Live hurling starts on Feb 14, Tipp vs Cork. looking forward to it, if even only half the games will be live here in the season.

[Leo]

Hi Lawrence

 

Do you mean this kind of program: http://www.findinternettv.com/index,direct,673.aspx

 

Click the watch now button. Works for me.

 

Thanks

Leo

Edited February 2, 2009 by Leo

[hjcjones]

This was a great event, but no less great than the ability to watch RTE or TG4 live for an arts or music programme would be. If the Irish were able to lighten up on a sports broadcast that was a "national" broadcast, why can't they allow us to see live, or even full screen recordable versions of music shows?

 

I would guess it's for copyright reasons

[Lawrence Reeves]

Thanks Leo, no not really. I can watch the delay broadcasts on TG4, but it would be great to be able to view live. I have contacted them, and they did say it was due to copyright. The discrepancy comes that Setanta is licensed( for a fee to end users) to broadcast GAA sports. They are worldwide, in much the same way ESPN is here in the U.S. It seems a shame that a person cannot purchase( with today's great available technology) programs they wish to own solely for their own education or entertainment.

[Guest Peter Laban]

Wouldn't it simply be that RTE/TG4 have no (legal) obligation other than to the licence fee paying (=Irish) population and can't justify spending money making their broadcasts available to the rest of the world? It's simply beyond their remit.

 

That said, I can't receive TG4 except via the web (and that only since recently broadband availability crept towards the western shores). They'd do well if they manage to have their broadcasts cover the country as it is.

[Lawrence Reeves]

Thanks Peter, you can watch it broadband live because your computer with it's MAC address, and it's host ip service are resident in Ireland.

[tombilly]

There's a row going on here in Ireland precisely because it was broadcast on Setanta (pay for view) and not public TV like RTE. The GAA make a great play on the amateur ethos and all the voluntary help at local clubs, are quite against paying players ... but are quite happy to accept the highest bid for TV rights and to hell with the voluntary helpers at local clubs who would now have to pay to see the games on TV!!! A different perspective..

[Lawrence Reeves]

Tombilly, I am totally shocked at this news. In years past Setanta broadcast GAA only outside of ireland, and RTE maintained the in country broadcast. I know that there was an enormous amount of extra event going on in conjunction with the 125 anniversary. The 1st live hurling broadcast for us is on Feb 14. It is another 7:30 game in Ireland. I don't remember too many other night games in years past, but I might be wrong. We used to have to drive about three hours each way to watch live games in a pub having Setanta premium. For us with time delays we were there at about 10 AM. They were required by their contract to charge a minimum cover admission for each game. Last season all games we received were delayed, and I had to avoid reading Irish Times until Wednesday as not to spoil the game. This season there are 7 live games announced so far. I would never want, nor can understand even with the profit of the broadcast, how RTE would not still broadcast a live game.

[tombilly]

Well, I wouldn't be shocked. Isn't that the way the world has gone, probably following in USA network TV footsteps Soccer in the UK is now almost entirely Sky Sports and rugby is/ was going the same way. But these are professional games with a big commercial ethos. The GAA avows to be amateur in ethos - that's the rub!! At least trad music is mostly free of these machinations and we may be thankful for that.

[Guest Peter Laban]

At least trad music is mostly free of these machinations and we may be thankful for that.

 

Well, there's Comhaltas...