The GAA Annual report devotes four pages to Broadcasting and GAAGo.

Tom Ryan speaks of the fact that 2023 was always going to be different in terms of it being the first year of a media rights cycle where the Association’s joint venture with RTÉ would enter the domestic marketplace in place of Sky.

He admits that the level of scrutiny in other media and at Oireachtas level, fuelled by question marks over RTÉ throughout the summer was much more detailed than might have been expected.

The GAA says that it judges the management of its media rights against four longstanding principles:

  • Maximising exposure to games
  • Achieving a fair commercial value for the games
  • Balancing the free-to-air vs subscription ratio
  • Respecting an overarching commitment to the Irish language

There were 300 matches broadcast during the year, 85 percent of them on free-to-air channels, twice the number that were shown in the previous rights cycle.

These included 50 games from the Allianz Leagues and 80 from the All-Ireland Championships as well as club games in the second half of the year from 17 different Counties.

The addition of the British BBC Network to coverage of the All Ireland Football Final delivered a combined audience of more than two million, the largest ever TV audience for a Gaelic Games broadcast.

The report also highlights the fact that the 42 Championship games covered live was three times that of what a traditional linear broadcaster could have shown and that the additional data and understanding that comes from owning your broadcast rights yielded far more in terms of knowledge and understanding.

There were no figures outlined but the level of repeat viewers and an understanding of the different levels of audience that individual matches might attract was all part of a learning curve that is essential for sporting bodies.

The expansion of the technology to incude the backbone of the United Rugby Championship’s streaming service shows the GAA in a very positive light and the report highlights the need for progress.  “The Choice is stark, adapt and lead or be left behind.”

The report suggests that a submission will be made to the consultation on listed games over the coming weeks, a story we will be staying on top of.

14 of the 16 games suggested as being part of a new list are already shown free-to-air

 

 

 

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