GAA+, the GAA’s new live and on-demand streaming platform, has announced its exclusive 2025 Championship schedule comprising 40 live matches.
Many of the games would not otherwise have been broadcast, and the number of free-to-air TV games made available to fans every year on RTÉ does not decrease.
Season passes for Irish-based users are now on sale for €79 from www.GAAplus.ie, and GAA members will receive a 10% discount via the Foireann membership platform.
Previous GAAGO season pass subscribers will be contacted in the coming days with further instructions regarding their access.
Individual matches will cost €12, 3 for 2 bundles will be available, and all caregiving locations will receive season passes free of charge through the HSE and NHI.
A GAA club pass will cost €150, and a commercial premises pass will cost €300.
Reinvestment
As with all GAA commercial revenue, 82% of profits generated from GAA+ will be reinvested in planned player pathway coaching and development initiatives, selected capital infrastructure projects in each province and club support.
Additional daily content will be available on the service, and a studio will be built in Croke Park to host programmes and analysis.
Aisling O’Reilly and Gráinne McElwain will present the live action around the country, and Dave McIntyre, Mike Finnerty, and Liam Aherne will call the play-by-play action.
Programming will extend beyond match days as a new Monday to Friday content schedule will include micro highlights packages (Monday: ‘GAA+ Bitesize’), the return of ‘RATIFIED’ series 02 in a combined football and hurling format (Tuesday), a hurling analysis show with Noel Connors and Séamus Hickey (Wednesday: ‘The Hurling Analysis Show’), a football analysis show with Michael Meehan and Aaron Kernan (Thursday: ‘Football IN DETAIL’) and an editorial piece (Friday).
This midweek content will be free of charge and available on the GAA+ YouTube and social media channels.
There is seismic change happening in Gaelic football in 2025 and the GAA+ analysis team of Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Paddy Andrews (Dublin), Aaron Kernan (Armagh), Michael Meehan (Galway), Bríd Stack (Cork) and John Heslin (Westmeath) will take viewers to the heart of new rule enhancements, emerging patterns and winning formulas from the opening weekend in April. Further football analyst announcements are planned in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Richie Hogan (Kilkenny), Bubbles O’Dwyer (Tipperary), Eoin Cadogan (Cork), Séamus Hickey (Limerick), Noel Connors (Waterford) and Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny) will run the rule over the small ball action.20 match days and 13 consecutive weekends. Multi-camera production, pre-match referee interviews, new in-game analysis tools and a perimeter reporter will ensure the viewer’s experience is second to none.
Wrap around Content
Additional wrap-around social content is also planned to address the growing demand for online storytelling that will see half-time and full-time online highlights packages created.
“This is a landmark day for the GAA,” said President Jarlath Burns.
“I will reiterate the comments I made at Congress when I stated that the inception of GAA+ is a strategic move that guarantees exposure of our games in a small but intensely competitive Irish broadcast market.”
“We are proud leaders in the Indigenous sports OTT space, a commitment that ensures we meet growing GAA member demand whilst creating a commercial return that will be definitively reinvested in ongoing GAA initiatives nationwide.”
“Launching GAA+ is a result of a decade-long GAA broadcast strategy which has seen the GAA evolve from being a media rights seller, to moderator, to live broadcaster,” added Noel Quinn, Head of GAAGo.
“Taking ownership of our broadcast destiny not only follows best practice but ensures that our members’ growing live and on-demand content expectations will be met.”
“We will invest in improving stream quality on web and app, accessibility features and a new studio in Croke Park – all of which is good news for viewers as we strive to deliver for them.”
Diaspora Doubleheader
The opening weekend sees a diaspora double-header from London and New York, with two of the four Connacht football championship games to be broadcast.
The GAA+ cameras will capture Kerry’s Munster football semi-final tie against either Cork or Limerick and provide three games from the Leinster football championship.
Monaghan awaits the winners of Donegal or Derry, while an Ulster football semi-final follows just six days later – available exclusively on GAA+.
At least three Munster and three Leinster hurling championship matches will be streamed as part of the live schedule, with a fourth to be confirmed for the last round robin stage on May 25th.
Coverage includes Tipperary v Limerick on April 20th, Waterford v Limerick a fortnight later and reigning champions Clare v Tipperary on May 10th. In Leinster the Dublin hurlers will feature three times during the round robin stage. Wexford, Antrim and Kilkenny will also appear on GAA+ during the same period.
Extensive All-Ireland football series coverage will see 15 matches live streamed from the three group stages, all four preliminary quarterfinals across the weekend of June 21/22 and two quarterfinals on Saturday, June 28th. These will be rounded out by seven live Tailteann Cup matches with a ‘Game of the Week’ pick during the group stages, plus preliminary quarterfinals and quarterfinals action.
Further Reading for Sport for Business members: Noel Quinn, Head of GAAGo on Marketing the GAA – A Sport for Business Podcast
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
We have long been supporters of the concept of the GAA becoming its own broadcaster. It increases the number of games made available to view and the discounts and free passes distributed through clubs, county boards and the HSE removes the concern of some that it was making the sport inaccessible.
This really is a landmark day for sport in Ireland.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
The first games to be shown live on GAA+ will be on this coming weekend. Keep up to dater on all the content in our Daily Guide to TV and Streaming
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