The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has agreed to provide online coverage of inter-county championship matches that are not being shown by Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ and pay-television broadcaster Sky amid the continued absence of fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision will mean that all 47 matches will be available either online or on television. Matches in the GAA’s National Football League also set to be shown online, along with U20 football matches and minor championship fixtures.
RTÉ will show 24 inter-county championship matches, 18 of which will be exclusive, according to The Irish Examiner newspaper.
Sky is expected to air eight exclusive fixtures, while four of Ulster’s matches will be shown exclusively on UK public broadcaster the BBC. Remaining fixtures will be shown on GAAGO, the organisation’s streaming service.
In July, GAAGO teamed up with RTÉ Sport and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to launch the latter’s new streaming platform, which will deliver coverage of the League of Ireland Premier Division.
The platform will provide live coverage of every league match and selected FAI Cup fixtures, with season passes available for €55 ($64) in Ireland and €69 for the rest of the world. The platform was launched ahead of the resumption of the league.
The GAA’s five-year rights deals with RTÉ and Sky run through to 2022.