GAA Go

Thanks for clarifying, but to be honest, still not sure they'd actually be obliged to show them. Would depend on the exact terms of the contract. Could very well be the case that they've simply secured the rights and option to show them, but it's still up to themselves whether they actually do show them or not.

Unlikely of course that they wouldn't exercise that right, but let's say there was live coverage on one channel of the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse, while the other channel had live coverage of something like 9/11. They probably wouldn't break away by saying "but now we're off to Croke Park to see the Dubs hammering whatever other unfortunates have qualified for the Leinster Football Final this year".

Thanks again. As I said, would depend on the terms of the contract. Seems the zombie apocalypse would have to go off the airwaves for a couple of hours after all!

That's almost exactly my point. If RTE was the only show in town, they'd be able to choose which of the "big" games they wanted. But they'd still only be able to choose whatever number they have the rights for that year.

This year, that number was 33. So, question remains - which three of those 33 would you have dropped in order to make room for the three we're talking about here?

Full list of all that they had the contract to show is here:

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2024/0329/1440759-monaghan-cavan-to-start-rtes-gaa-championship-coverage/

Note that you can't say that you'd have dropped some of the camogie matches, because that's a different deal with a different Association. And remember you'd be choosing your games before the start of the championship.

Incidentally, re. Cork v Clare in Munster this year - have thought even since the time that if RTE had shown it in place of Limerick v Tipp that weekend, and if the outcomes had been reversed (i.e. Cork v Clare very one-sided, Limerick v Tipp a thriller), then they'd have been hauled over the coals as well.

Not possible for all sort of contractual and practical reasons to show every single match in case it turns out to be a good one, so would love to hear what your method would be of choosing at the start of the year which ones to actually show.

Whether you flip my point on its head or not, the question is still valid, and you still haven't answered it. If you were the GAA or RTE or whoever gets to choose which matches are to be shown live and FTA, which three would you have dropped this year to make way for the other three we're talking about?

On your other points, you're either wrong, or overlooking things, or both.

For instance, in 2017, there were 12 matches in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship. Granted, six of them were in a preliminary qualifying group of Laois, Westmeath, Kerry, and Meath, which wouldn't have been prime TV material (no disrespect to the counties involved). But that still left six matches from quarter-final stages onwards, not four.

And you're overlooking the qualifiers that were played in such years after the provincial finals and before All-Ireland quarter-finals. In 2017, there were seven of them, including attractive ties like Kilkenny v Limerick and a real humdinger Kilkenny v Waterford that went to extra time before Waterford won.

One of the few things you're correct on is that all bar one of the 11 Munster Hurling Championship games this year were shown on either RTE or GAA GO (six on RTE, four on GAA GO).

However, you're very wrong about Leinster. Of the 16 games, only eight were shown (three on RTE, five on GAA GO).

Won't give a full breakdown of the provincial football championships because this post is already becoming long enough, but basically, of 28 matches, only 14 were shown (eight RTE, six GAA GO).

Finally, your last couple of lines show a complete lack of understanding of what was on the table for RTE and other broadcasters this year, and how sporting organisations, including the GAA, handle the sale of broadcasting rights to their games.

Yes they will prob have more exclusives this year even

I don't really see why the GAA would not just set up a new corporation for this, or look for a new partner, what are they buying exactly from RTÉ?

As I was reading I was thinking of the brand, but the post before mine suggests a rebrand, while the brand itself is relatively new.

I thought the whole idea was that 50% was coming from rights while 50% was coming from the broadcast, I assumed this was how the valued the service.

Perhaps branding and as you say staff, but I wonder about this value.

At the end of the Day RTÉ will possibly be entering an agreement with the GAA to provide broadcast facilities to its streaming service.

Fuking ridiculous the standards the GAA are held to compared to everyone else.

Are the good socialists at the IRFU and FAI giving all their games away for free ?

Why are they never "grab all" when they charge for games or child tickets ?

"all 6 Nations, World cup, Munster, Leinster and Connacht games in the URC, home Champions Cup games and the soccer Nations League games are free to air so a fair chunk and all the big one are free to air"

Some of them are forced to be free to air by law. And don't forget the majority of GAA games shown are free to air and the GAA offered them all free to air but RTe didn't want to pay for all of them and Virgin wouldn't pay for any.

Grab all IRFU have way higher ticket prices than GAA and and the FAI charge more for international games than the GAA for games so that's way off.

The only things with protected status in my list are the Rugby World Cup games and the 6 Nations games which are only protected on a deferred basis. There was talk of making the 6N games live and adding the GAA football semi-finals and the final of the Champions Cup if an Irish team was involved but I am not sure if any of that materialised

but RTe didn't want to pay for all of them and Virgin wouldn't pay for any

More like RTE didn't want to pay GAA prices when they knew they'd be paid to take them and put them on GAAGo instead

Grab all IRFU have way higher ticket prices than GAA and and the FAI charge more for international games than the GAA for games so that's way off.

Not sure about this one… URC Semi-Final last year in Thomond last year was €37 for an adult ticket, Limerick V Cork at last years semi final was €55

The IRFU, and to a lesser extent the FAI, have higher running costs, such as player wages and international travel and get less incoming funds because of fewer government grants and lower ticket prices

Figures for 2023:

FAI - income €62.3m, surplus of €3.5m = running costs of €58.8m

IRFU - income €79m, deficit of €18.4m = running costs of €97.4m *

GAA - income €112m, surplus of €6.5m = running costs of €105.5m

*IRFU figures for 2023 impacted by Rugby World Cup in France. Income lower than normal due to not hosting Autumn Series matches that year, and expenditure higher than normal due to costs of participation in the World Cup.

Plain to see that IRFU and FAI don't in fact have higher running costs.

Not sure what level of detail you're hoping to see, but they release quite a bit of the breakdown in their annual reports and financial statements.

https://www.gaa.ie/article/gaa-invested-13-2m-in-coaching-and-games-development-in-2023

Eh yeah I suppose paying themselves would count as an expense to be fair

The IRFU are 32 county and have always been so not too sure what exactly you are talking about here?

I'm not qualified to talk about the FAI or the soccer in this country but the exact point of this thread is discussing GAAGo so it is very relevant to talk about how it is overpriced by comparison to similar services from other sporting organisations…