Sky to get pro12 games?

[aarons]

Not a huge surprise after buying up the Irish autumn internationals. On the Guardian website today

Sky looks to Celts to fill rugby void

Sky is looking for ways to fill the hole left by the loss of Aviva Premiership matches to BT Vision from next season.

It has already been hoovering up international rights this year, adding Ireland, France and Italy to their autumn international package next year along with England, but that only amounts to a month of action.

Sky is in talks with the Celtic unions about securing the exclusive rights to the RaboDirect Pro 12, which are up for tender for the 2014-15 season onwards. As well as injecting money into the tournament, Sky could also help in its projection, helping cut the lag with the Premiership.

Sorting out the kick-off times would be a start. Friday and Saturday nights and the occasional Sunday have not proved popular in Wales where the average crowd is around 8,000.

Can only be good for attendances if - and it's a big IF - ulster keep winning. if they start losing they may miss the profile they've had on BBC NI.

[Rooster]

Double edged one this as it could be 2 or 3 matches a weekend on tv rather than all our matches shown which at present is an incentive for sponsors with the extra coverage so will the extra through gate and bit from Sky compensate ?

[ruckover]

I know a lot of people who watch on BBC but they can't on Sky because they don't have it. If they lost the Beeb coverage then they would probably go to the matches. I'd be all for it.

What would happen to kick-off times though? Friday nights would probably turn into 8pm games for scheduling purposes and a lot of games would move to Saturday and Sunday. The number of Friday games would probably drop too. Not sure some teams would be all too happy about that.

I agree with Rooster too. Sky show at the very most three games a weekend for the AP, but it's usually only one or two. At the moment we're getting 18-20 of our Pro12 games on TV. Definitely lose some money over that.

[Joe Schmo]

Not liking Sky 'hoovering' anything tbh. Goodness knows what it'll do to our Friday night kickoffs, I like going to the match for 7pm as it leaves a bit of socialising time afterwards. It might have the benefit of having a few more through gate (providing we still continue onwards and upwards - as Rooster has already said).
Also would this mean no more Gusher? heaven forbid!!!

[Scranner]

Don't like the idea of moving matches away from Friday night either. Starts the weekend well and leaves the rest of it do the things that need to be done.

[ColinM]

Good news for the security of the league, and for clubs securing sponsorship I say.

Its a harsh old world out there and money is king. If folk are put off by a 30minute shift in the start time then they'll have to suck it up.

This probably means that not all Ulster games will get shown in full, but on the flip side they may well produce a programme midweek a la The Rugby Club with highlights and previews.

[AyeYerMa]

Hmm. There's sucking up a 30 minute change in start times and there's sucking up a change to Saturday afternoons/Sundays. Both of which will impact gates and in the case of Saturdays at least, have a knock-on effect at a more grass roots level.

I'm tempted to think we've got a very good thing going at the minute from everyone's point of view, might not be ideal with the early starts.... But it could be a darn sight worse.

[bazzaj]

It will be better coverage for sure.
The league could do with a bit of glamour and spice that sky will bring to it.
I think whilst the Irish provences are in good shape the other countries could really benefit from a cash injection into the club system.
To be honest they need it.
Still, no gusher.

[BaggyTrousers]

I'm with Colin, I've been a SKY subscriber for as long as I can remember, so no extra cost to me and say what you like about them but they can put the time into coverage & their magazine type stuff that BBC can't and never will be able to.

I would expect to see an increased quality in the coverage.

As for KO times, I am amazed how many cultchies can get to Ravenhill for 7.05 as it stands 7.30 or 8 pm is always much more relaxed. Whilst it will probably reduce the number of live Ulster games, I would be happy not to have to watch games with guttural TG4 Oirish or singing songy Welsh gobbledegook or thon other Alba Garlic.

My guess would be that they will cover the big games each week, 2 or 3 at least so if we keep on as a top team we should be covered substantially and I'd assume they will have highlights form all games. Also HD coverage to enjoy.

[AyeYerMa]

What's a "big" game though? Top of the table clash or the one with the biggest Sky subscriber base?

If the former, it's entirely up to the squad... The latter and we might not see much of Ulster in a season.

[Joe Schmo]

What YerMa said. A change to later kick off would be slightly inconveniencing, a change to Saturday/sunday afternoons and I'd be sucking nothing up, no more season ticket or sky sports for me ta. But I doubt it will come to that, Ulster will push for Friday night home games and welsh teams will want their preferred times(Sunday afternoons?), that would suit sky as they often show Aviva on Friday nights.

[Neil F]

Two conflicting worries in this thread:

- Evil Sky, sacrilegiously, won't show many Ulster games
- Evil Sky, sacrilegiously, will shift all of Ulster's games to days that aren't hallowed Fridays

Well, at least only one will come to pass

Good news for the league if it happens; and I'm sure it will only happen if it's the best financial deal for all concerned.

[Wee Woman]

But I doubt it will come to that, Ulster will push for Friday night home games and welsh teams will want their preferred times(Sunday afternoons?), that would suit sky as they often show Aviva on Friday nights.

I've also been a Sky Sports customer for some years and I don't recall very many Friday night AP games tbh.

At best you are lucky to get one AP game shown all weekend as the other one goes to ESPN which you have to subscribe to.

I don't get why folk are so hung up on being 'inconvenienced' by matches held on any other day other than a Fri night. If you want to go, you'll go. If you don't, well don't .

Sky could be setting themselves on another collision course with the Free P's if they are looking at Sunday matches at home

[Rooster]

What YerMa said. A change to later kick off would be slightly inconveniencing, a change to Saturday/sunday afternoons and I'd be sucking nothing up, no more season ticket or sky sports for me ta. But I doubt it will come to that, Ulster will push for Friday night home games and welsh teams will want their preferred times(Sunday afternoons?), that would suit sky as they often show Aviva on Friday nights.

I reckon later KO on Friday is better as the 7pm is a bugger if you don't live near Belfast, when we had matches at 7:30 if you had asked me move to 7 or 8 I would say 8

[ColinM]

What's a "big" game though? Top of the table clash or the one with the biggest Sky subscriber base?

If the former, it's entirely up to the squad... The latter and we might not see much of Ulster in a season.

The biggest SKY subscriber base is in England. Therefore they'll want to show the one of most interest to the the neutral.

As said, cant see Sky insisting on us playing on a Saturday, the fixtures in the league are fairly settled now with who prefers what. In the Premiership I think only Sale prefer Friday nights hence you dont see a lot of matches on.

I'd say we'll get to keep the majority on Fridays