10 November 2019 Sunday Independent ∼ GAELIC GAMES | SPORT | 5 The Gael in exile has The current GAA media rights package will expire in never had it so good as May 2022 game reaches into all corners of the world DERMOT CROWE HAT would Bill Doonan have made of all this, one might wonder, were he around to see how accessible the GAA world has become? The Wformer Cavan footballer gets honourable mention in Breandán Ó hEithir’s classic account of GAA life, Over The Bar, for his heroic efforts in trying to tune into the 1943 All-Ireland SFC final between his native county and Roscommon. Bill’s endeavours, for Ó hEithir, captured what the GAA was all about. While serving with the British Army in Italy during the Second World War as a radio operator, he went missing one day and was later found up a tree listening to commentary from the final having managed to connect to the wireless broadcast. Wind the clock forward 30 years to 1973. Limerick hurlers are in the All-Ireland final, seeking a first win since 1940. The world has become appreciably smaller, with the onset of live television, but if you are abroad the challenge of seeing an All-Ireland final remains formidable. On the west coast of America a group of Limerick people gather in a local Irish bar to view the game against Kilkenny. To their horror, the transmission fails. Necessity being the mother of in- Global reach continues to vention, one of them decides to phone a bar in Clontarf and asks to have the receiver placed near a television so they may listen to the commentary. Tim Kinsella, owner of the Pebble Beach Bar, was pulling a pint when the phone rang. “The phone was tuned into the final for the full 80 minutes and every time expand via live streaming Limerick scored I could hear screaming and cheering on the other side of the line,” explained Kinsella. The call cost over £90 — or around €1,100 in today’s valuation — but the Limerick followers While their county final was a set- “In five years the sports broadcast cording to Dowd, if the GAA is creative Donegal and you can’t compete with it. with the GAA’s national broadcasting stranded on the west coast of America back, there were contrasting emotions landscape is supposed to grow from 50 in pursuing possible streams. It has We would be in breach of the contract partners isn’t ideal. “Deferred coverage considered it a necessary investment. around the intermediate final won by billion to 60 billion,” says Quinn, “that the scope to grow an enthusiastic and by doing it. We have done it for some of is just not the same for people, it’s really Now the Gael in exile has never had Galbally which they also streamed on is being driven by OTT players.” committed audience where the distance our small games but for county finals the live thing that people want,” says Ó it so good. The latest welcome develop- a separate day. O’Connell was shown OTT (over the top) is a streaming factor is removed. you’d have to defer it.” Méalóid. ment is the growth in live streaming of a picture of four followers celebrating service offered directly to viewers over He cites last year’s Mayo senior Colm Ó Méalóid, a Meath county At the moment such clashes aren’t a club matches which has been pioneered the win in Sydney, watching the win- the internet which is usually accessed football final when Ballintubber’s Joe hurler who is part of a company called major difficulty but if streaming were by a number of counties. ning point being kicked on a big screen on computers, through apps on mobile Geraghty scored the winning point. Sportego, has been involved in the pro- to continue to grow, in line with all the Since 2014 the GAA has been provid- courtesy of Tyrone GAA TV. devices like smartphones or tablets, or Geraghty’s brother, based in in Australia, ject. “Not that it was a new idea or any- international trends, then the current ing a live match streaming subscription “It epitomised to me what it meant, televisions with integrated smart TV got up to watch the match on Mayo TV thing, it had been done before, the live broadcast partners televising local games service through its GAAGO platform four young lads out there who are trying platforms. “TV is still big,” adds Quinn, along with some of his friends. streaming, but what we proposed was to may kick up more of a fuss. The current which gives it wide global reach. to make a living, yet still their heart and “and where people mainly tune into in “He recounted it to the local press, do it through a mobile app. We launched GAA media rights package will expire in “We are into year six now and it’s soul was in their parish, in their com- Ireland. Streaming is growing but it is what it meant to him to be able to watch it about two years ago . towards the May 2022. It will be interesting to see if been the biggest year yet,” says Senior munity,” says McConnell proudly. “And still 10-15 per cent of the overall market.” his brother playing in that particular end of the championship, last year we compromises can be found to allow the Marketing and GAA Rights Manager, Dowd Media has been involved in match,” says Dowd. “The Irish diaspora different platforms share the field cordially. Noel Quinn (inset). “We do have stories providing a streaming service for Mayo is absolutely huge; that is just the first “In fairness to Noel (Quinn) he is of people watching a Munster hurling The locations GAA for the last three years and has generation. The locations where they Fundamentals of quite understanding,” says Ó Méalóid. final from the foot of Mount Fuji.” earned a reputation for quality produc- watch from are incredible, Ethiopia for “Obviously he has to protect his con- But seeing more of the parish team, tions and being able to access less well example; you can see from the comments tracts which he has negotiated. TG4 and as opposed to the county, is a new where they equipped venues through its mobile unit. that crop up during matches.” longing haven’t eir Sport and RTÉ are clients of the GAA exciting step for GAA mankind. It has The company is based in Westport and The Bill Doonan of today might be and they give away more money than not all been sweetness and light. This owned by Brendan Dowd, whose father watching on from Vancouver, from the what streaming brings in. I understand year’s Tyrone county football final drew watch from is a Mayo man who emigrated to Bir- comfort of a sofa rather than up a tree. changed since the situation. But there is probably room subscribers from across five continents, mingham and became deeply involved Or he might be viewing from a boat for more games to be streamed.” 144 countries and 354 cities around the in the GAA there. The service in Mayo is on the Thames, or from West Virginia. Quinn says that county board execu- world. But on the day the technology are incredible sometimes free-to-air but mostly a small The live comments with each broadcast Doonan’s time tive officers are “smart enough” to appre- failed and the match wasn’t broadcast fee of €5 applies per match. helps create a more tight-knit feel and ciate that national television coverage much to the chagrin of many who had to see those four boys, the elation they Dowd says he wrote to all the counties a sense of home. The fundamentals of had a full year at it, we did games on a of local matches has numerous benefits paid £8 to see it. The money hit of course felt, as they jumped off their feet when offering their services. As a result Clare that longing haven’t changed since Bill per-game basis. So you would pay a fiver and is a valued source of financial sup- was less of a concern than not seeing the the ball went over the bar — watching came on board this year and streamed Doonan’s time, even if the technology and you could watch the game on your port. He suggests streaming platforms game but it offered a reminder that the it on a 54-inch screen and the winning all matches in the senior football and has moved into a different orbit. mobile through the app device. What we can be a support mechanism for other practice is still feeling its way. point scored in the 62nd minute.” hurling championships from the quar- Armagh were one of the front run- decided then, myself and Seamus Kenny grades, such as intermediate or junior. Undeterred, the county PRO, Eugene Noel Quinn, looking on these events ter-final stages for free, with followers ners, joined now by Tyrone, but stream- (Meath GAA operations manager), was “There was barely any streaming McConnell, says it has been a huge through a wider lens, says the GAA is able to watch the action on YouTube. ing of club matches by county boards is to move towards a yearly subscription. five years ago, ten years ago there was success, championing the arrival of generally enthusiastic about anything Dowd has also spoken to people in still a relatively new concept.