The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Council call for GAA to scrap deal with Sky TV
A KERRY Councillor has called on the GAA to scrap its deal with Sky Sports and return all coverage of games to terrestrial TV.
At Monday’s monthly meeting of Kerry County Council Kerry Independent Alliance Michael Gleeson tabled a motion calling on the GAA to end its lucrative arrangement with the sports broadcasting giant.
Cllr Gleeson – whose motion received vocal support in the chamber – said the GAA Sky Sports deal deprived many life-long GAA supporters of the chance to watch their favourite players and teams in some of the most important games of the year.
“Sky Sports is now not to be found in every home. Maybe not in up to 40 per cent of homes for many and varied reasons. But calling into a house down the road is not as much of an option as it once was,” said Cllr Gleeson.
“As a result some people are unwillingly forced to go to the pub where children are not always welcome, nor should they be. The truth is many people are deprived of the opportunity to see their favourite county and their local heroes on the big day,” Cllr Gleeson said.
Many who are now aged, infirm and unable to travel to games have given many years of loyal and devoted service to the GAA. It seems very harsh to deprive them of the joy of seeing their teams on the big day.”
“I ask that the GAA would re-examine this entire matter. The social needs of community are deserving of priority over the generation of immediate profit.
Under the terms of its deal with the GAA Sky Sports has the right to exclusively broadcast 14 of 45 championship matches each summer with the rest (31) screened on terrestrial stations.
The TV deal has been a particular issue for Mayo fans this year. Five of Mayo’s six games leading up to the All Ireland final could only be viewed on Sky Sports.
Meanwhile a scheduling difficulty meant the replay of the Connacht football final between Roscommon and Galway wasn’t televised at all.
There was further controversy early this month when GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghaíl said that ‘there is no automatic right for everybody to see every game.”
In terms of viewers the Sky Sports deal has not been particularly successful.
Previously published figures showed that the Cork Clare hurling qualifier in 2015 attracted just 37,700 viewers. That was less than episodes of Judge Judy on TV3 and RTE’s Oireachtas Report.