Every GAA Championship match this year to be broadcast live

Although the All-Ireland SFC is played on a knock-out format this year, RTÉ and Sky Sports’ early live Championship schedules are expected to be dominated by hurling
Every GAA Championship match this year to be broadcast live
 

All 47 of the GAA’s senior inter-county championship games between the Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguire Cups will be live broadcasted on TV or online.

As reported by the Irish Examiner last week, the GAA’s media rights holders had been approached by Croke Park about showing the entire senior inter-county championships live as the organisation was willing to relax their broadcasting agreements due to crowd restrictions.

It is understood RTÉ are to show 24 games in total, 18 exclusive. Sky are expected to televise eight exclusive fixtures and both companies will as per usual simulcast the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals in both codes. Four of the Ulster SFC matches are to be shown exclusively by BBC.

The remaining Championship fixtures will be carried on the GAAGo streaming service with RTÉ producing the coverage.

While RTÉ and Sky can’t show different games at the same time, they are themselves permitted to show two games simultaneously. It is believed the national broadcasters will use RTÉ News to televise matches that clash while their primary fixture features on RTÉ Two.

County PRO officers were informed on Wednesday evening that the details of the new Championship media rights agreement have yet to be ironed out as the Leinster and Connacht councils had been putting their finishing touches to their schedules. Those dates and throw-in times should be confirmed on Friday.

Although the All-Ireland SFC is played on a knock-out format this year, RTÉ and Sky Sports’ early live Championship schedules are expected to be dominated by hurling. All four Munster SHC games will be shown on TV, three of the games including the final being shown on RTÉ while the Cork v Waterford semi-final will be televised by Sky Sports. Sky will also be broadcasting the Dublin v Laois Leinster SFC round game.

It is also believed that many if not all of the under-age inter-county games in Munster will be broadcasted. As before, TG4 are expected to show the majority of the U20 hurling championship – the Kerry v Cork game is set to be streamed.

However, the 10 minor football and hurling matches are to be broadcast online too.

eir Sport and TG4 will televise Allianz League matches from the middle of next month – TG4 will also show the U20 All-Ireland semi-finals and finals. The GAA may allow more league matches to be broadcasted or streamed.

GAAGo, the GAA’s IPTV (internet protocol TV) partnership with RTÉ, established in 2014, currently allows GAA followers outside of Britain and Ireland to watch Championship, Allianz League and club games live and on demand.

This summer, the platform has been used to broadcast live League of Ireland matches.