BBC Northern Ireland will continue to broadcast live coverage of the Ulster Senior Football Championships after signing a new five-year deal with the GAA.
Television and radio rights from 2017-2022 were announced yesterday and the GAA confirmed that their existing radio agreement, which includes BBC Radio Ulster, will continue.
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 NI 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.
