TG4 trump RTE for Euro rights

Excellent move by TG4. For me its much of a muchness. Its still free to air.

Wow does that mean the end of Hook and Pope?

Thats a bit of a blow for non-Irish speakers and possibly the sports popularity?

roddersm wrote:
Thats a bit of a blow for non-Irish speakers and possibly the sports popularity?

Not really. I am hardly fluent but I can follow what's going on the Magners League games on TG4 with the Irish I know from school. To be honest the commentators don't seem to be great shakes in the Irish department. As soon as it strays away from a fairly basic vocabulary all you get is various incoherent oohs and aahs and some suspiciously English sounding words.

[quote="Schrodinger's Cat"]

roddersm wrote:
Not really. I am hardly fluent but I can follow what's going on the Magners League games on TG4 with the Irish I know from school. To be honest the commentators don't seem to be great shakes in the Irish department. As soon as it strays away from a fairly basic vocabulary all you get is various incoherent oohs and aahs and some suspiciously English sounding words.

Yeah I think so too, I amn't quite fluent but am pretty close so with this new development I think I'm gonna apply for a job

Ps: I think it's good for the language too (not really a rugby issue but I find it important)

Great. Won't have to listen to Hook & Co. And no Vile Nugent

For English commentary, tune into RTE1 - Michael Corcoran is a fantastic commentator.

I don't speak Irish, but I know I would enjoy RTEs coverage much more if I couldn't understand what the pundits were saying so I'm delighted.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:

Schrodinger's Cat wrote:

roddersm wrote:
Not really. I am hardly fluent but I can follow what's going on the Magners League games on TG4 with the Irish I know from school. To be honest the commentators don't seem to be great shakes in the Irish department. As soon as it strays away from a fairly basic vocabulary all you get is various incoherent oohs and aahs and some suspiciously English sounding words.

Yeah I think so too, I amn't quite fluent but am pretty close so with this new development I think I'm gonna apply for a job

Basically you need to be able to say something like:

Scrum maith ag Cúige Laighean anois. Reddan, Sexton, O'Driscoll, O'DRISCOLL, <insert gibberish here>... Agus ba é cic iontach ó Sexton.

[Translation for non-Irish speakers: Good scrum from Leinster now. Reddan, Sexton, O'Driscoll, O'DRISCOLL, <insert gibberish here>... And that was a wonderful kick from Sexton.]

Most (Irish) people could figure that out, and probably even say it.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:
Yeah I think so too, I amn't quite fluent but am pretty close so with this new development I think I'm gonna apply for a job

Well your English is impeccable

Haha so I won't put you down as a reference then Notch!?

I find it strange that RTE were out bid by TG4, I thought RTE's budget would be much much larger than that of TG4, funding from Roinn na Gaeilge included.

Pete - I suspect RTE would rather concentrate on the Magners games, World Cup and Ireland fixtures. I can't imagine delayed highlights are all that popular.

Notch wrote:I don't speak Irish, but I know I would enjoy RTEs coverage much more if I couldn't understand what the pundits were saying so I'm delighted.

Ha ha thats a good point Notch.

I've watched quite a few Magners game on there and obviously you can follow the rugby fine and the interviews of course. However you do miss the build up and analysis (however poor that might be).

I'm not against the Irish language of anything and it's great for that of course however I'm just wondering if this is detremental to the game in Ireland. Does this mean the only rugby on RTE now is the 6N?

I'd be happy to learn Irish but doubt I'd be fluent by next season .

I like TG4's actual build up to the Magner's games they do have the odd person who can speak Irish and knows about rugby but it ridiculously boring! Generally though they are ok and have the Inception theme tune too which is awesome!

I'd watch the extend highlights to most of the games to be honest. Don't have sky and always like watching the game back.

Yeah RTE will have World Cup, 6N, Magners League, Guiness Series (I think)

There is a God after all - no more Pompous McGurk and Windbag Hook - have to relearn some Irish now. What pundits do TG4 use

Please tell me Neil Francis can't speak Garlic!

greybeard wrote:Please tell me Neil Francis can't speak Garlic!

I believe he can slag Ulster off in numerous languages.

That's interesting because it's the same set-up as Wales. Live games on Sky then the highlights are shown on S4C.

roddersm wrote:

greybeard wrote:Please tell me Neil Francis can't speak Garlic!

I believe he can slag Ulster off in numerous languages.

Can't we all?

s4c do a red button option for english commentary

Do you think tg4 would do the same

Doubt it they get a lot of funding and support because they do programmes in Irish that may compromise that funding. It should compromise it anyway. RTE and TV3 do very little in Irish so it's one of the only advantages that TG4 has due to its smaller viewing figures and therefore less expensive advertisement slots. It's also why they show a lot of films

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Doubt it they get a lot of funding and support because they do programmes in Irish that may compromise that funding. It should compromise it anyway. RTE and TV3 do very little in Irish so it's one of the only advantages that TG4 has due to its smaller viewing figures and therefore less expensive advertisement slots. It's also why they show a lot of films

Yes, but what annoys me is that they have some programmes in English and advertisements in English. Given that they get special support for using Irish I think that is appalling.

TG4 is the only place you can still watch a good old fashioned western on prime time Friday night TV. And has anyone seen South Park dubbed in Irish? Bizarre.

I don't mind the rugby being shown there. I can understand enough Irish to get by. I wouldn't mind learning it some more. It's a pity most Irish people never speak it. It's part of our culture and history. The Welsh put us to shame.

I never learned it. It doesn't bother me that much that I can't understand a word but sometimes I feel like a class traitor.

It's imposible to keep up with a language when you never have any chance to use it.

My gf was fluent in Irish on leaving college,she's a primary school teacher and is shocked at how her Irish has deteriorated in the last 7 years as she only ever uses really basic Irish at school.

D24tress wrote:s4c do a red button option for english commentary

Do you think tg4 would do the same

NO - TG4 should not have a red button and S4C should get rid of theirs (the standard of 'commentary' is appalling)

Penfro's right - Rick O'Shea chatting away (as entertaining as he is) over the sound on live games is not adequate English commentary!

Rick O'Shea is a dick.

Well, one has to commend TG4 for their work here but there is no doubtling the viewing figures will suffer. Now do not mistake that as a lament for RTE and their Rugby Panel, but 'standard' Magners matches, ie any given province playing a non-Irish derby match during the regular season, has a greater viewership on Network 2 than on TG4.

Obviously given it is the HC and given TG 4 will have it exclusively will have a boost and the channel will gain viewers and be able to charge higher prices for ad time etc, I would be shocked if the figure for the delayed highlights matched Network 2 during the group phase.

From a business perspective this has to be regarded as gross mismanagement by the RTE execs. Nothing TG4 could bid could not or should not be outbid by TV 3 or TG4. Now let us observe the deafening silence as RTE engages in no self analysis or recrimination for what can only be described as a failure.....

Oh and Schrodinger, to be fair they never say Leinster/Munster etc on TG4, they always say chuige Laighan/Mhunha etc. Forgive the spellings I am disinclined to look them up, but don't think I have made too bad an attempt after a steadfast refusal to speak the language since 2002.

Cheers debaters, I forgot that. [Goes and edits post]

No worries, my potentially alive-dead-and-all-states-in-between friend!

I agree debators.

debaters1 wrote:Well, one has to commend TG4 for their work here but there is no doubtling the viewing figures will suffer.

Not half as much as when the Heineken Cup was moved to Sky from terrestrial TV in '07.

If the ERC were worried about the viewers and not the money, they would have stayed with RTE2. They are obviously not!

True enough. but as I said, there i no way that TG4 can actually outbid RTE. More viewers means higher Ad revenues which means RTE can stump up more cash. I agree with your point re the ERC (but that is a different debate) but given the effective 'in-house' outbidding that went on this is a catagoric f**k up by RTE Sport. If I recall correctly hasn't Ryle Nugent been made head of said division, or am I off the mark there?! Either way, RTE only have themselves to blame.

The one silver lining is that, in theory, McGuirk and Hook will be getting paid less money for the 'work' next season.

I am glad TG4 got it, it won't affect me much and will boost the Irish language big time. I think it's great news.

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't TG4 actually owned by RTE?

Feckless Rogue wrote:Excuse my ignorance, but isn't TG4 actually owned by RTE?

TG4 has been independent since 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TG4

ar fheabhas!

luckless_pedestrian wrote:Rick O'Shea is a dick.

LUCKY - Rick is actually really nice, funny guy when you meet him. However, what is described as 'English Commentary' on S4C isn't. It's a bloke 'chatting with his mates'. I only speak a small amount of Welsh, but I don't see why the 'Welsh Language Channel' should have any commentary in English

Rick is good at the 'Fanzine' stuff on the red-button on BBC Wales, but he is not a commentator. Mind you he was Cliff Morgan / Bill McLaren when compared with Dai Bish, who commentated once