The GAA can confirm its television and radio rights arrangements for the next five years which will come into effect with the commencement of the 2017 GAA Football and Hurling championships.

RTÉ television has retained access to 31 senior championship games each year including all provincial hurling and football finals, both All-Ireland hurling and two All-Ireland football quarter-finals, and the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals in both football and hurling. Sky Sports have retained rights to 20 games, 14 of them exclusive, including two All-Ireland football quarter-finals. They will, as previously, broadcast the All-Ireland hurling and football semi-finals and finals on a simulcast basis with RTÉ. BBC Northern Ireland will once again broadcast live TV coverage from the Ulster senior football championship.

In all, a total of 45 games will be broadcast live across the GAA Football and Hurling Championships while RTÉ will continue to broadcast the Sunday night highlights programme The Sunday Game. TG4 has retained access to Sunday afternoon Allianz League and club championship games and to broadcast Minor championship games up to and including the finals.  It will therefore, continue to broadcast 85 live and deferred league, club championship, minor and U20/21 championship games each year. TG4 has also retained rights to highlights packages for the Allianz leagues and for inter-county and club championship action. Saturday night Allianz League games will be broadcast on the eir Sport platform.

RTÉ Radio 1 has successfully secured full and exclusive live radio rights for all GAA games including inter-county league and championship action while RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will again broadcast all-year long as Gaeilge. The GAA’s existing local radio agreement continues with 20 stations around the country and Today FM and Newstalk have both been awarded score flash rights.

In a departure from the previous media rights deal, the GAA has retained its clip rights for all games with plans to leverage them across its own platforms as part of a wider digital content strategy. GAA Football Championship sponsors eir will also have access to these rights in addition to access to the GAA archive. Sky Sports will have clip access for their 14 exclusive games.

Partnerships with Premium Sports (North America – Commercial Premises) and Premier Sports (Britain) have also been renewed.

Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Aogán Ó Fearghail said: “We are pleased to confirm media rights arrangements that will keep our games to the fore across the airwaves, both at home and overseas, for the next five years.

“We believe they strike a balance between the need to promote and profile the games on air using modern technology while remaining mindful always of the requirement to encourage people to attend our games in person – support that is the lifeblood of the organisation.

“Gaelic games have never been more heavily promoted and our work with our media partners is an integral part of that process, both through the coverage of the games and their general promotion of our activities.”

Director General Páraic Duffy added: “Broadcasting revenues represent an important funding source for the work of the Association and its units.  Other major sporting bodies can participate in lucrative centralised rights pooling and revenue-sharing agreements that are not available to the GAA and it was vital that we achieved the proper value for our rights. Our success in that regard in the allocation of these rights will enable us to boost our investment in games and infrastructural development.  

“I am also pleased that gaa.ie has retained its own clip rights which will allow the Association to showcase our games on our own platforms and to promote gaa.ie and our other digital channels as sources of all GAA activity and information.”