As we revealed earlier this week the GAA Media rights deal has been signed and sealed covering an extended five years to 2021.
It is a successful deal from the Association’s point of view drawing in revenues ahead of the previous arrangement and as high as €16 million per annum.
It is also a winner from the incumbent broadcaster’s perspective with RTÉ retaining the backbone of its summer sporting coverage at a time when other rights have been lost, and Sky retaining its right to show a number of matches in Ireland and the UK.
The continuation of the arrangement for international digital streaming between RTE and the GAA will continue and the stability of a five year deal will enable greater long term strategy and confidence to turn this into a powerful and lucrative element of the way in which gaelic games are broadcast.
eir Sport and TG4 will also retain the right to broadcast secondary competitions including the Allianz Leagues and the AIB Club Championships.
And yet with a lot of good news to be spread there has been a very careful approach to making the deal formal.
Our understanding of why this is so, and that a low key announcement will be made over the next 72 hours to get the deal on the record before the end of the year, is the result of the beating up that took place three years ago over the introduction of Sky to the mix.
Sport for Business did a survey of members at the time which revealed overwhelming acceptance of the deal among regular fans and less than five per cent resistance to Sky being part of the mix.
That general acceptance, and of the course the fact that Pay TV was already an established element through Setanta Sport as was at the time was rather glossed over by some strong anti sentiment which the GAA has not collectively forgiven or forgotten.
Some coverage at the time, in particular on programmes like Liveline and in an overly aggressive interview with Paraic Duffy on Primetime were the equivalent of a very over the top challenge which if on the field of play would have resulted in a straight red.
Protestations of public interest and selling the birthright were made but in large part they were not widely echoed among a sporting audience that has grown used to having to pay a premium to watch major sporting events over and above that of the license fee.
I was in the primetime audience that night and for reasons of balance they always like to have questions from both sides of a debate from the floor. They had to come back for an additional ask to draw questions from those opposed to Sky last time.
Read more about Media coverage of Irish sport on Sport for Business
While there have still been echoes, and even attempts at Congress to tie the hands of the executive they have come to little and would be akin to a King Canute stance anyway.
The GAA was collectively bruised by the experience. Not so much as to exact revenge by reducing the rights awarded to the national broadcaster but enough to be unwilling to give another opportunity to be a punchbag.
It is a good news story for the Association but as is often the case the real benefit is in the deal itself, not the brief burst of interest around the announcement. A late in the week statement of the terms of the deal and little interest in engaging with what it sees as likely to be another one sided attack on one element of it is what has transpired.
It’s easy enough to understand why. It is still a good deal that deserves credit, from all sides…
