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LAST UPDATE | 10 May 2023
THE GAA HAS rebuked Virgin Media Television for their claims that no other broadcaster was approached to air GAA matches after Sky Sports lost their rights to broadcast games.
Virgin Media yesterday said that it was not approached by the GAA to gauge their interest in acquiring rights to broadcast games, which the GAA is now disputing.
Both RTÉ and the GAA have faced pressure in recent days after the Munster senior hurling clash between Tipperary and Cork was aired on the GAAGO platform instead of on free-to-air television.
This backlash was also seen last week after Clare’s victory over Limerick was only available behind a paywall on the app.
In a statement this afternoon, the GAA said that Virgin Media were “afforded every opportunity” to discuss options around broadcasting games, after Sky Sports lost the rights to air matches.
The GAA said: “From as early as February 2021, the GAA contacted VMTV and other parties to gauge their interest in acquiring rights packages that would become available in the renewal of the GAA media rights in 2022. The initial call was followed up by a detailed description of the various packages available.
On Tuesday May 9th, VMTV (Virgin Media Television) issued a statement that called into question the integrity of the GAA Media Rights process. The statement contained several factual errors and misleading comments which obliges the GAA to correct the record. #GAABelong
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 10, 2023
“Thereafter followed several meetings, telephone calls, emails and document exchanges between the parties. The GAA did not receive a formal bid from VMTV or an expression of interest.”
“In June 2022, VMTV were again contacted to clarify that they did not intend to make a bid. VMTV were clear that their model was not to acquire rights but rather to acquire ‘ready to go’ packages ie productions which don’t require outside broadcast set-ups for live match coverage.
“In short, VMTV were afforded every opportunity to discuss options, variations to packages and to submit a confidential offer. VMTV choose not to bid.”
This has directly contradicted Virgin Media, who yesterday stated that no broadcaster was approached by the GAA to acquire rights for matches.
“When Sky Television decided not to renew its GAA rights, the GAA did not approach other broadcasters to ascertain whether they would be interested in broadcasting these games but arbitrarily decided to put them behind a paywall,” the statement said.
Both the GAA and RTÉ have said that it is not feasible to show all GAA matches on free-to-air TV.
This afternoon, the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media agreed to invite all Irish sporting organisations and broadcasters to appear before it, following the GAAGO controversy.
The committee met late this afternoon following proposals to invite both RTÉ and the GAA to the committee.
However, there were some internal disagreements and TDs and Senators instead agreed to invite all Irish sport bodies and broadcasters.
One TD who attended the meeting described it as a compromise,
Invitations are due to be sent to the GAA, IRFU, FAI, Sport Ireland, the Federation of Irish Sport, RTÉ, Virgin Media and Sky Sports.
Yesterday, committee member and two-time Mayo GAA All-Star, Alan Dillon, said that the controversy had increased the perception that both the GAA and RTÉ were in a “cartel”.
“There’s a perceived formulation of a cartel here with the distribution of games. It calls into question issues of competition and fairness,” Dillon said.
He said that he supported both RTÉ and the GAA appearing before the committee and that he had concerns about the state broadcaster’s 50% stake in GAAGO.
Dillon added that it was “concerning” that the GAA had not approached other broadcasters, saying that “not looking at Virgin Media was a mistake”.
“To not afford Virgin the opportunity [to broadcast GAA matches] needs to be investigated.”
Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that it was “not possible” for RTÉ and TG4 to broadcast all GAA games.
“There could be as many as 10, 15 major [GAA] matches on every weekend. It’s not possible for RTE and TG4 to televise all of those matches,” Varadkar told the Dáil.
“The solution to me seems to lie in making sure that the most popular most important matches are the ones that are on RTE and TG4, and use GAAGO for the other matches.
“I think we all understand that all matches can’t be televised.”
Additional reporting by Christina Finn
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A person who travels in space for the Chinese space program is called a Taikonaut.For America and the rest of the world its Astronaut and for Russia its Cosmonaut.
@Padraig: nobody travels in space its all fake
Lol! Alt-Right conspiracy theorists are funny.
@Breas: <——- a man with good discernment.
@OpenBorders No alt right, Just a guy with his own opinion. Which seems a tad silly.
@OpenBorders:
I don’t think you can really say much when you have set up a profile specifically to invoke a reaction.
@Pádraig Ó Raghaill:
Hey. Paddy. While you’re here…..I’m not a Zionist. You know this.
@Charlie Fogarty:
I thought we settled that – no need to rehash – I believe I even said you have discussions unlike many
@Pádraig Ó Raghaill:
I just take umbrage with being considered a Zionist when my support of Israel differs greatly to that mode of thinking. It’s important to differentiate between them.
…or a Coconaut!!!
What’s a Irish one called ???
The whole lot of them??
Surely not. Who’s going to make all our stuff?
@WJH: Why? Sure the Chinese are a great bunch of lads!
I hear they want to go to the sun at night as well
That was north Korea dude… But easy mistake they appear similar.
A Great Bunch Of Lads
That’d be awesome if it happens
They already own half of Canada and Africa!
China look set to dominate this sphere for the foreseeable future:
Soon they will be the only nation to have in-service, proven moon landing technology. By 2025 China will also likely have the only remaining Space Station in orbit with the ISS due to retire. They are already pretty far ahead in the race to capture a Near Earth Object and return in to an Earth orbit. NASA started their project this year on a shoestring budget as they prioritise a Mars 2030 run. The first nation to return an asteroid will lead the way in develop methods and technologies to mine such asteroids.
Essentially they are the only people actually trying to begin a space exploitation program. NASA are stuck on a vanity project, ESA doesn’t have a real budget and the Soviets are only interested in selling rockets anyway. They can do this because their system has advantages for long term infrastructure development over systems with elections. I really don’t see how they’d catch up at this point anyway.
@John Considine:
“the Soviets” ? C’mon comrade.
@Charlie Fogarty: I like how the only part of my reply worth of comment was my use of “Soviet” as opposed to Russian….
China’s relentless march towards becoming the next true Superpower? Let’s not worry about nonsense like that. All post in defence of Comrad Putin!!!
Sometimes you guys are just *too* transparent man.
@John Considine:
It was the funniest part. You’re framing the whole thing this as if the race hasn’t already been run. Any progress into space exploration is a positive now, regardless of who does it.
Who cares who owns the moon? I hope they are planning on building a base.
Who is ewe guys?
Sounds very interesting, It would be great to see the results and what type of minerals and compounds are found. Maybe E.T too
Good for them.
Apparently we’re all on a big ball, rotating at a speed of 1000mph and further rotating around a Sun, at 67,000mph. In addition, all of that is hurtling through an infinite universe at speeds up in the 100s of 1000s of mph – yet I feel absolutely zero vibration, lateral movement, or rotational pull from all of it.
Do you ?
Yawn…. No response on the last article you posted with the exact same comment so thought you would try again? What is wrong with you?
@Roibeard O Beachain: I like to question what I’m instructed to believe, is what’s wrong with me.
An admirable quality in a world teaming with MSM controlled automatons, if I do say so myself.
@Patrick Mac: ‘I like to question what I’m instructed to believe’
Unless it comes from a conspiracy website,then you won’t question it at all.
@Patrick Mac: Ha ha not this crap again! :-)
@OpenBorders: what website is it your referring to. I don’t need any website, book, TV set, radio to tell me that when I go outside, sit/stand still and do my best to detect, or feel motion I fail every time.
You can try it yourself if you wish. Stand away from the computer, go outside and ask yourself:
“where is the motion” ?
Go ahead, do it now, then report your findings.
Inertial frame…
@ Patrick Mac. I went outside. I observed the motion of the stars in the sky. The speed is almost imperceptible because the Earth rotates at only once per 24hrs. This is half the speed of the hour hand of a clock so I wasn’t expecting to have to hold on for dear life. But its very real all the same. Go outside and check yourself.
@Patrick Mac:
Yeah I don’t get science either.
@Paraic McDonagh: you’re ignoring the other two, additional trajectories Paraic:
*** rotating around a Sun, at 67,000mph
*** hurtling through an infinite universe at speeds up in the 100s of 1000s of mph
Why did you feel nothing from those, either ? More importantly, who, or what, carries out the task of steering planet earth through the infinite universe at such extreme speeds, huh ?
If you can answer this then you will be a rich man indeed.
Paraic, he’s a known troll so don’t waste your time.
Patrick i thought you were gonna go watch miles from tomorrow?
Scientists rarely become rich men. The reason you don’t feel anything is because space is a vacuum and so there is no resistance to the earth spinning or moving so that’s why you don’t feel anything. Simple really.
@Patrick Mac. Tell me this; when you’re on a train, do you expect your tea to splash into your face at 70mph when you tilt the cup to your mouth?
…If I was sitting next to you, it would.
@Paraic McDonagh: sorry, that’s not comparing like with like, Paraic.
He is Patrick. You could travel 60, 000 kph on a train and not feel a thing. Take away sound, windows and vibration from the track and you wont know you are moving ( if the train’s velocity is constant ) A sudden change in the trains velocity and coffee is getting spilled all over you or a lovely fat women has signed your death warrant….
Ha ha! You don’t notice anything because you are traveling at the same speed!
Your atoms are vibrating if that helps
Their mission will be as Fake as the US one in 1969. I wonder will the show the earth spinning from the moon. maybe they could place a video camera on the moon and show us the earth spinning 24/7
How can it spin if it’s flat?:
China already put a rover on the moon in 2013 called Jade Rabbit.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yutu_(rover)#
You do realise that optical reflectors were placed on the moon by Apollo astronauts which anyone can bounce a laser off and are therefore verifiable? How do you purpose those got there if the moon landings were fake?
Charlie, you can spin a plate. Same principle, just bigger. The Earth sits on a big wobbly stick. Or on four elephants on the back of a giant turtle. Depends who you ask.
Padraig, odd name for a dog.
Trump will want to get there first to brand it Trump Moon.
How high is the moon -Ho Hi is a China man? Ho low is his brother.
@Bennythekid:@Bennythekid:who is his brother how low is his cousin
Wonder how they will take all of China to Mars?
*The moon
Lol
Look at the south China sea…I don’t trust these medieval s (umbags
The Earth is Flat!!!! This is not a piss take..
Apparently the Chinese have admitted that there was no sign of the NASA every been on the moon! No Apollo Missions!! All a big Masonic lie..
Yes and they want to buy Donald Trump for a Trillion Dollars and have him run it for them……
Is his wife’s name She Qisong!!!!!
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