Irish pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport has acquired a new package of rights for the Gaelic Athletic Association’s Football and Hurling Club Championship under a five-year deal.
The agreement, which commences in May and will run through to 2021, will mark the first time Eir Sport will broadcast Club Championship games on its channels.
Eir Sport will broadcast up to 30 live games in the first year alone. These games will include early rounds of both competitions as well as County Finals and the latter stages of the Championships.
Today’s (Thursday’s) announcement represents a significant increase in the GAA offering available through the Eir Sport pack, which is already home to live coverage of the Allianz Leagues with 23 games shown this season.
In addition to broadcast rights, Eir Sport has online clip rights for the Club Championships, Allianz Leagues and Senior Championship games. Eir Sport also has archive rights to show replays of classic GAA matches, while parent company, telecommunications firm Eir, is an official sponsor of the GAA Football All-Ireland Championship.
Glen Killane, managing director of television and sport for Eir, said: “These are matches that haven’t previously been shown, and we are delighted to open them up to a wider audience. We will show some big clashes within the AIB GAA Club Championships while broadcasting from parts of the country that the cameras don’t often visit. This will bring Eir Sport into the heart of communities all over the country, bringing local stories to life.”