RTÉ has enhanced its coverage of hurling and football under a new agreement struck between the Irish public-service broadcaster, the Gaelic Athletic Association and pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport.
Announced today (Thursday), the three-year deal runs from 2019 to 2021, inclusive. Four Allianz League games will be simulcast by the two broadcasters this spring while RTÉ will also begin broadcasting games from the AIB Club Championships.
Eir Sport will continue to be the home of the Saturday Allianz League games under lights franchise, a role it established in 2005. Eir Sport will broadcast at least two games each weekend from January 26 this season. Four of these matches will be simulcast by RTÉ.
While Eir Sport will act as host broadcaster, RTÉ will have its own editorial, presentation and punditry teams. RTÉ’s live Club Championship coverage will run alongside that of Irish-language free-to-air broadcaster TG4.
RTÉ’s live GAA coverage had traditionally spanned from May to September. Declan McBennett, RTÉ group head of sport, said: “In increasing RTÉ’s live coverage of Gaelic Games across the GAA calendar year, we are reaffirming our commitment to bringing national moments to a national audience, free-to-air and guaranteeing coverage on RTÉ television for nine months of the year for the next three years.”