GAA Go

Trampas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120580941#Comment_120580941

I wasn’t given a saorview box a few years ago. When did this happen

Mantis Toboggan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581106#Comment_120581106

I've watched 3 games live this season, had problems twice, contacted GAAGO and they admitted lots of people having issues, seems the bigger the game the bigger the problem, might be a server hosting issue.

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581174#Comment_120581174

Yes, issue is not with people on 3,4 or 5mbps connections. Because I've watched games on a tiny connection and worked and then I've heard of places with 500mbps connections and had buffering issues.

I had 2 streams running off a 7mbps connection and no issue whatsoever. Both through the Firestick app.

Issue as you said is on the back end and server not able to handle the late push onto the site. *I've been logged on 30 mins prior and I've heard of many issues when logging in just prior to throw in.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581115#Comment_120581115

You are explaining why (you think) there was a big crowd at the match. I never questioned why. I just said it was a high demand game like Limerick Clare was. It's hardly a ground breaking revelation to say that bigger crowds attend games when teams are still in the competition. It was both teams' second match, obviously they were both still involved and the game would be relevant.

We don't need quote marks around the idea of it as a "quality" game either as if Dublin-Westmeath is really better only for the Munster hype. Hurling has a handful of games at that level with proper potential teams who could qualify for the All Ireland series. That was clearly one of them, as was Limerick Clare.

It doesn't matter when GAAgo makes their schedules. I couldn't care less. The games should be free to air. The United Rugby semi finals will be. The Heineken Cup semi final was, as will the final. Dies that sport no harm letting people see it. No need to be putting hurling in the backwater.

RTÉ have often shown games on Saturday evenings and again on Sunday. No idea why it's suddenly pretended to be an insurmountable challenge. They could put the mainstream matches on TV and then have the subscription channel for people who want and have the time to watch 30/40 games a season and enjoy the more niche games. That's a solution to suit everyone.

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581273#Comment_120581273

Why should games be FTA? What God given right have the people of Ireland to see high demand games on FTA. And how do you draw the line on which games to show?

Can't wait for your answer on this one now.

Ps, as a matter of interest did you watch or attend the 3 Munster games which were on GaaGo so far this season?

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581308#Comment_120581308

Who said anything about a God given right? Hurling is played in a handful of counties to a reasonable standard. It's a minority sport with a very small window at this stage with the split season. The sport needs to be easily viewed and simply does not have anything to gain by being behind a paywall. Nothing to do with anyone's God given right.

Why should matches be free to air? Well why not? The World Cup final in rugby and soccer is. The Connacht football final was. The Mayo Galway Connacht championship game was. And the sky didn't fall in. Many people obsessed with the English Premier League think that sport is credible only if it's pay per view. Absolute nonsense.

And how do you draw the line on what matches to show? I don't draw the line. They can show every match for all I care. TG4 shows comparatively obscure club games. There's not a huge number of games in the Senior hurling championship.

What matches I attend or attended is irrelevant. It's not about me.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581387#Comment_120581387

Why not play club hurling games now and the intercounty in September, that way there would be perfect visibility and the GAA would have something to offer for most of the year?

chinguetti

A point that I haven't seen mentioned much is that broadband in rural Ireland isn't great and that's adding to the issues for GAAGo, along with their poor streaming quality. I'm waiting for someone who gets attacked to say that the Government have been remiss in providing decent broadband to the whole country despite numerous plans over the years that never have done the work involved. That will turn the focus onto the Government then to keep this rumbling on. Also GAAGo isn't an easy service to use by all accounts and no, I don't use it.

I'm old enough to remember that only semis and finals were on live telly back in the day when the GAA refused to do any more live telly for fear of people would stop going to matches so some things don't change.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120580941#Comment_120580941

Is your proposal that the games would have been shown on a new fta channel? Who covers the cost of covering the extra games?

puzl

The same people who pay the salaries of the players.

I'm sick of people with MBAs talking about "our product" and how to increase revenue and all that **** that should not be the guiding principle of the GAA.

It's a grass roots volunteer organisation There's nothing wrong with sensible funding decisions but not at the expense of supporting the grass roots culture that is the engine of everything good that holds value in the GAA.

By all means have GAAGO, Sky or anyone else involved but stop grifting us by putting top tier content behind a paywall to increase profits.

It's no coincidence that the number of Munster hurling championship games behind a paywall exploded this year. The GAA are trying to protect the revenue stream they lost when sky exited and it's at our expense and I for one will not pay them a single cent for it.

The greed the GAA are showing is going to turn a lot of people away from the organisation.

lawred2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581115#Comment_120581115

Tipp Clare, Limerick Clare and Tipp Cork in the Munster Championship are always big games.

These games may have been on Sky - but as part of a broader package of paid for sport. With a much wider audience. GAA GO has nothing if it doesn't have its hold on a few premium games.

From a purely commercial POV it makes sense to paywall them. But it doesn't do much for the game to do so.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581680#Comment_120581680

I am sick of hearing that it's a grass roots volunteer organisation and that should justify not generating income.

The FAI, IRFU, Basketball Ireland and almost any sporting body I can think of is grass roots volunteer. It's not a uniquely GAA thing.

Bills need to be paid and the sports need to develop.

If GAAGo isn't something people agree with then they shouldn't sign up to it. If there's no money coming in it won't be long before another solution is found.

The GAA as a grass roots community organisation is second to none and literally is the fabric that exists in many parts of this country however it's not without its issues.

I noticed that any club member received a discount for a GAAgo sub with there membership of a club this year to the value of ten percent.

Perhaps a larger discount via membership of a club and a better streaming platform are the answer.

lawred2

Lol what? Discounts for GAA go with our membership! Certainly did not.

puzl

The FAI, IRFU pay their elite athletes.

The GAA want it both ways.

They'll talk out of one side of their mouths for player compensation.

They'll talk out of the other side with greed.

If you're sick of people espousing the virtues of grass root support in the GAA you should take your complaint first and foremost to the GAA who never hesitate to point it out when profits are on the line.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581680#Comment_120581680

There's really nothing more to be said on this. This post says it all. Petty arguments about "which games?" and "what happens if it's one-sided?" pale into insignificance beside a few home truths like this.

It's funny to see people talking about "revenue streams" etc. as if they were major shareholders. Nobody worries in the early spring how much it's costing TG4 to broadcast games. Suddenly a few months later because a paywall is in play the bottom line is being discussed, as if TG4 have to pay nobody. If professional sports want to use the language of business and let it go unchallenged work away. An amateur community based sport is and should be different.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581701#Comment_120581701

That's just not true about the grassroots. There's no soccer club, rugby club or basketball club where I live. Doubt there is one of each in every parish in Ireland either. Yes, people volunteer but so what? People volunteer for Tidy Towns, Tennis clubs, nearly any organisation has a strong element of volunteerism. You might not like to hear it but none have the reach of the GAA. A Basketball match on TV will not be viewed in potentially every parish in Ireland. So let's not get into false equivalences.

And bills have always been paid. A venture where RTÉ is getting 50% of the cash is probably of little benefit to the average GAA club anyway. Clubs and counties gave generally been fine if run well and efficiently. No great need for a new money tree.

Mantis Toboggan

This has been perfect for RTE, they've effectively created a PPV channel and fixed some of the bigger hurling games on it to drive revenue.

Is it known who's on the board for GAAGO and how much they are being paid?

dmakc

Sky tried putting Premier League games on PPV during covid and tbf their own staff analysts lead a revolt that saw them cut the plan within 2 weeks. Wish our lot had the same backbone

Fr Tod Umptious

There would only half of this drama about GAA Go if the Connacht draw was not so lopsided.

Had it been a Mayo v Galway game, competitive, in a full stadium no one would be complaining about a hurling game being on GAA Go playing second fiddle to it.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581842#Comment_120581842

Is it supposed to be a secret?

Mantis Toboggan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581920#Comment_120581920

I've no idea

Quitelife

The next two weekends are going to only add fuel to the fire with the only Munster Hurling match Clare v Waterford on GAAGO this weekend and by far the most attractive football match the following weekend Kerry V Mayo on it...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120579562#Comment_120579562

Could they not have extra streams as needed on the RTE Player? The BBC do this on their iPlayer for certain events. Some of their recent Allianz league coverage was iPlayer only.

threeball

The biggest issue I have with it is the lack of promotion around what they were doing. They should have been running ad's during the league letting people know what games were going to be on it, how much it would cost etc. Sticking out a press release at the times the rights were decided isn't enough. I don't think people would have had too much of an issue with the cost if they knew the ins and outs. For the last few years its been mainly a PPV service where some people would pay to watch an individual game or maybe buy a sub if you were abroad. This year they changed it entirely without really informing the public. Broadband would still be an issue in some areas but not enough to create the blowback they have now.

Once again, they've made a right boll0x out of it and that Milton lad should be out on his ear. I can't think of a single thing hes handled well since he was first appointed.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120582198#Comment_120582198

I agree and noted that a few times previously in this thread before Christmas etc. There was f all promotion/marketing/education on GAA Go at all in the run up to this

The problem they face now is they will never see a massive spike in subscribers - They may have people come-and-go but never the spike. They needed a massive influx pre-matches starting on it this season and it could go from there, but they messed that up big time

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581988#Comment_120581988

3rd game for Clare, wonder whose cornflakes they pissed on in RTE...

One upside is that showing the 19th, 20th, 16th and 18th most populous counties with a combined population of 550,000 people across the 4 counties should keep viewing figures low and might help the Grab All Association rethink this latest money grabbing strategy

RTE showing Munster V Leinster at 5pm on Saturday should help the low figures for Clare/Tip also

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120582559#Comment_120582559

Think your mixing up your hatred of the GAA with the debate Hurling & Football fans are having. Its Clare v Waterford and plenty of people like myself can watch the bulk of both hurling & Rugby if they were on TV.

pjohnson

Tbf its a terrible strategy in the first place.

If they wanted to maximise revenue they shouldn't have shortened the seasons.

Adding more games, while shortening the season, just created clashes and people then having to choose which one to watch wheras with no clash instead of choosing people could pay to watch both.

Its just terrible decision on top of terrible decision.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581082#Comment_120581082

But isn't that a reason to paywall them and use the funds to provide a good service.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120582405#Comment_120582405

Yet again, they were afraid of blow back so kept it below radar trying the usual cute hoor shíte but now its blown up in their face again. All the good matches that GAA Go had exclusively are nearly complete so no one is going to pay a full sub. So they've lost all the revenue and took all the flak. Bunch of clowns running the show. The best bet is to now offer a promotional price of €25 or €30 for all the remaining games and hope it dies down whilst picking up some subs. Its a good way to generate revenue if you didn't have simpletons running the show.