The GAA is reported to have signed off on an increased and extended media rights deal which will generate €80 million over the next five years.
Confirmation is expected this week that RTÉ and Sky will hold a similar split of championship coverage as has been the case over the last three years.
It is believed that eir Sport and TG4 will retain their rights to other competitions including the Allianz League and AIB GAA Club Championships, also through to 2021.
GAAGo will remain an important part of the mix with RTÉ and the GAA retaining the overseas online rights to show live and highlights programme via streaming to audiences in the US, Australia and over 100 different countries around the world.
The last deal covering 2014 through to 2016 was only agreed in the April of 2014 for that year’s Championship but this year’s has been concluded earlier and with no major change in terms of those involved will provide for a more seamless transition than three years ago.
The figure of €80 million, which appeared in weekend media, represents an increase of over 20% on the last deal.
While still being small in comparison to the mega deals of the Premier League and Champions’ League still represents good business for the GAA who will also be able to extend the length of a number of major sponsorship deals given this new certainly in the local and international coverage.
The continuation of Sky as a main Championship broadcast partner will dismay a number of commentators for whom putting Championship matches behind the curtain of pay TV, other than through the license fee ironically, was seen as some kind of betrayal of ethics.
The arguments raged three years ago when Sky first appeared on the schedule for matches but anger has faded with the realisation that this was the way for all media rights in a multi-channel, multi-media world and Sky have raised the bar in terms of coverage by introducing new voices and faces to their coverage.
TV3 are understood to have been notified that they were unsuccessful in a bid to regain coverage rights they last held in 2013.
It is a rare recent setback for the broadcaster who has won the rights to the 6 Nations Rugby from 2018 and covered the Rugby World Cup in place of RTÉ in 2015.
It is expected that a formal announcement of the terms of the new media rights deal, including online and radio broadcast rights will be made over the coming days and Sport for Business will bring you analysis of all the details as they are made public.
Image Credit: ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan
