TG4 win HEC rights from RTÉ

[Broken Wing]

Warning, from the Indo:

TG4 are now believed to have won the rights to show extended highlights of Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup matches ahead of RTE on a three-year deal from the start of the 2011/12 season.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/t ... 71102.html

No Pope or O'Shea for three seasons but no Ryle Nugent, Ralph Keyes or the other members of the Munster Supporters Club doing commentary and no more Hook nonsense about Diana Ross or lost dressingrooms.

In preprataion here's a link to Gael Linn's adult Irish courses in Dublin http://www.gael-linn.ie/default.aspx?tr ... 6&subcat=7 (Courses are also run in the Meath Gaeltacht.) There are courses starting in September and finishing in October which is plenty of time before the cup kicks off in October. To help tune your ears TG4 have highlights of the RWC in September and, of course, live Pro 12 games. Fail to prepare?

[TrapperChamonix]

So let me check if I have this right, the Irish Taxpayer has got into a bidding war with itself.

[Dave Cahill]

Great news for Sky Sports.

[Mackman15]

Great news for Sky Sports.

Beat me to it, how many new sign-ups will that give them.

[fourthirtythree]

Great news for Sky Sports.

Beat me to it, how many new sign-ups will that give them.

I still wouldn't give Murdoch the steam off my piss if he was dying of thirst. That's what the Internet was invented for - taking his product and not paying for it. I look forward to irish rugby coverage being considerably more competent from next year.

Also, will they continue to undermine the brand that they do have next year after spending the entire year denigrating it and failing to do basic homework on the teams? That they then whinged about attendances at matches they called unimportant was merely icing on the cake.

[Scott]

No doubt Hook will root out his black arm band again and then f%~k off to work for TG4. The c**t

[Sauvignon Blank]

Ta me an sásta leis an cinneadh sin.

No more miserable Hook.

[janeymac08]

Warning, from the Indo:

TG4 are now believed to have won the rights to show extended highlights of Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup matches ahead of RTE on a three-year deal from the start of the 2011/12 season.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/t ... 71102.html

No Pope or O'Shea for three seasons but no Ryle Nugent, Ralph Keyes or the other members of the Munster Supporters Club doing commentary and no more Hook nonsense about Diana Ross or lost dressingrooms.

In preprataion here's a link to Gael Linn's adult Irish courses in Dublin http://www.gael-linn.ie/default.aspx?tr ... 6&subcat=7 (Courses are also run in the Meath Gaeltacht.) There are courses starting in September and finishing in October which is plenty of time before the cup kicks off in October. To help tune your ears TG4 have highlights of the RWC in September and, of course, live Pro 12 games. Fail to prepare?

I think you'd be missing O'Shea anyway (Quins are in the HCup).

I'd say you are about the only one on the planet who thinks that Ryle Nugent (or Hugh Cahill) support a team outside D4!

Really pleased not to have to listen to anyone.

Its also proves in the FTA scenario that RTE do have competition for rights.

[Alternative Ulster]

Great news for Sky Sports.

Beat me to it, how many new sign-ups will that give them.

I still wouldn't give Murdoch the steam off my piss if he was dying of thirst. That's what the Internet was invented for - taking his product and not paying for it. I look forward to irish rugby coverage being considerably more competent from next year.

Also, will they continue to undermine the brand that they do have next year after spending the entire year denigrating it and failing to do basic homework on the teams? That they then whinged about attendances at matches they called unimportant was merely icing on the cake.

Never watched RTE HC coverage so don't care. Sky is a great product and well worth the money. Couldn't be arsed with trawling round the net to find some cr@p quality stream that let's go when you don't want it to.

Sky HD Sports is the message. Price of an visit to the pub every month. Well worth it imho. AND Rugby is the only sport I follow. So for others who are into Soccer etc it's a great deal.

Don't really care about Murdoch, and I'm sure he would not lose a nanosecond of sleep over me either way.

[sheepshagger]

Great news for Sky Sports.

Yep, can see them using the red button more and more too (thus taking people away from UPC).

[hugonaut]

Also, will they continue to undermine the brand that they do have next year after spending the entire year denigrating it and failing to do basic homework on the teams? That they then whinged about attendances at matches they called unimportant was merely icing on the cake.

Well said, 433 - there's very obviously a happy medium between overhyping and underselling your product. The approach that Sky Sports takes to the Barclays Premiership [soccer] is a fine example of an outrageously hyped 'product' whose coverage inspires a fair bit of derision, but in my opinion they do an excellent job with the Aviva Premiership [rugby] - sure, they over-rate their players a bit, but nowhere near the same extent as the footballers.

RTE, on the other hand, seemed embarrassed to be broadcasting the Magner's League, and the panelists rarely seemed to be fully engaged or enthused with the matches they were being paid to comment on. All of the panel, without exception, exhibited a serious lack of knowledge about players from outside Ireland, and if you weren't an international ... forget about it!

[Dexter]

Also, will they continue to undermine the brand that they do have next year after spending the entire year denigrating it and failing to do basic homework on the teams? That they then whinged about attendances at matches they called unimportant was merely icing on the cake.

Well said, 433 - there's very obviously a happy medium between overhyping and underselling your product. The approach that Sky Sports takes to the Barclays Premiership [soccer] is a fine example of an outrageously hyped 'product' whose coverage inspires a fair bit of derision, but in my opinion they do an excellent job with the Aviva Premiership [rugby] - sure, they over-rate their players a bit, but nowhere near the same extent as the footballers.

RTE, on the other hand, seemed embarrassed to be broadcasting the Magner's League, and the panelists rarely seemed to be fully engaged or enthused with the matches they were being paid to comment on. All of the panel, without exception, exhibited a serious lack of knowledge about players from outside Ireland, and if you weren't an international ... forget about it!

Agree with this. I found their coverage of the league to be shockingly bad and I think this even extended into their highlights coverage of the HC. It was as if they were trying to apply their International coverage "style" to the league and Hook, for one, continuously referenced the games and the players involved to the RWC this year (prime example: our home game to Edinburgh, where we had a virtual 2nd string team). They had nothing to add in terms of insight or knowledge to anyone who follows the league..and probably to anyone who didn't follow it either.

[Mackman15]

Just tell me that Joanne Cantwell is unable to speak Irish.
After that i'll live with anything.



(Sorry, i'm sure she's a nice harmless individual but christ, she grinds my gears.)

[hugonaut]

Just tell me that Joanne Cantwell is unable to speak Irish.
After that i'll live with anything.



(Sorry, i'm sure she's a nice harmless individual but christ, she grinds my gears.)

I'm with you on that one. The smirk ...

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Also, will they continue to undermine the brand that they do have next year after spending the entire year denigrating it and failing to do basic homework on the teams? That they then whinged about attendances at matches they called unimportant was merely icing on the cake.

Well said, 433 - there's very obviously a happy medium between overhyping and underselling your product. The approach that Sky Sports takes to the Barclays Premiership [soccer] is a fine example of an outrageously hyped 'product' whose coverage inspires a fair bit of derision, but in my opinion they do an excellent job with the Aviva Premiership [rugby] - sure, they over-rate their players a bit, but nowhere near the same extent as the footballers.

RTE, on the other hand, seemed embarrassed to be broadcasting the Magner's League, and the panelists rarely seemed to be fully engaged or enthused with the matches they were being paid to comment on. All of the panel, without exception, exhibited a serious lack of knowledge about players from outside Ireland, and if you weren't an international ... forget about it!

Couldn't agree more with all of that. I've said it before but I don't get tired of giving out about Daire O'Brien because he's just so inept so I can say it again. I'm getting annoyed just thinking about his lack of enthusiasm now and I think he was one of those who labelled a few ML games unimportant, tosser. I think it was Hugh Cahill who couldn't understand why the front row were being congratulated once when a pushover try was scored, I mean that's just ridiculous.

[Dave Cahill]

I have watched Rugby on RTE, BBC Alba, BBC Wales, BBC NI, BBC (the central network), ITV, TV3, TG4, S4C, Canal +, TV5, Sky, Sky Italia, ESPN UK, ESPN (american variety), Supersport and Setanta and I can say that RTEs coverage is certainly the worst and by some considerable distance. Never have so many people with so little knowledge of so many aspects of a sport gathered together in one place as in the RTE commentary, punditry and presentation teams, with a few exceptions.

However, in terms of growing the game, a game that is currently on an upward swing in terms of popularity and its place in the public consciousness, is putting the game on a minority language channel in Rugbys best interests? I would love to see the viewership figures for the three ML games between Munster and Leinster this season (RTE and TG4 had one each, with the final shared I believe) to see if this is the case or not.

[Alternative Ulster]

I think it was Hugh Cahill who couldn't understand why the front row were being congratulated once when a pushover try was scored, I mean that's just ridiculous.

I heard Hugh Cahill was Dave Cahill's little brother!

[Dave Cahill]

I think it was Hugh Cahill who couldn't understand why the front row were being congratulated once when a pushover try was scored, I mean that's just ridiculous.

I heard Hugh Cahill was Dave Cahill's little brother!

Now that is actionable!

(either by Hugh (no relation) or myself (still no relation))

[Donny B.]

I have a lovely image in my head, about five months from now, of McGuirk and Hook sitting in a studio in Montrose on the first evening of the next season's Heineken Cup. It's just them though, there's no cameramen, producers or assistants. They haven't done their research and don't know that RTE don't have the rights anymore!

[CRAZYDAVE]

I have watched Rugby on RTE, BBC Alba, BBC Wales, BBC NI, BBC (the central network), ITV, TV3, TG4, S4C, Canal +, TV5, Sky, Sky Italia, ESPN UK, ESPN (american variety), Supersport and Setanta and I can say that RTEs coverage is certainly the worst and by some considerable distance. Never have so many people with so little knowledge of so many aspects of a sport gathered together in one place as in the RTE commentary, punditry and presentation teams, with a few exceptions.

However, in terms of growing the game, a game that is currently on an upward swing in terms of popularity and its place in the public consciousness, is putting the game on a minority language channel in Rugbys best interests? I would love to see the viewership figures for the three ML games between Munster and Leinster this season (RTE and TG4 had one each, with the final shared I believe) to see if this is the case or not.

I'm with Dave on this one. Why does the National Broadcaster "lose" the rights to something that is a growing brand, to a minority language channel. The loss in advertising revenue alone would be significant. It'll be interesting to see if they replace it with more GAA (i.e. National league currently held by TG4 & Setanta), or more Live Soccer, or if they bother replacing it at all. I'd wager that they will replace HC coverage with Saturday night and/or Sunday national league GAA games, but will defer judgement until their intentions become apparent.