Choosing which matches are televised 'not based on revenue', says GAA

The GAA told the Oireachtas Media Committee that the decision of which matches are broadcast on television is not based on revenue, while accepting difficulties people have in using the GAAGO streaming service.

It follows a backlash over fixtures, particular key games like the Limerick v Clare Munster Senior Hurling meeting, being shown exclusively on the pay-per-view service, rather than on free-to-air channels.

GAAGO is a joint venture between the GAA and RTÉ.

GAA director general Tom Ryan said that although it was “great” that people want to see matches, “the expectation that every single game should be on television is just not realistic”.

“It’s not in our interest, and not in our plans,” he said.

He said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, people could not attend games but the demand to watch them grew, so they “tore up the broadcasting model”.

Attempts were made to broadcast every game, but there was a “capacity limitation on the part of broadcasters”, and so it was done through GAAGO, and “morphed” an overseas and an international provider to the domestic market.

“We learned too, that there was a market for it, and we also saw the flexibility that it afforded,” he said.

He stated the total income for GAAGO in a year is approximately €4 million, adding that he believes the domestic viewership is greater.

“We have a responsibility to try and earn a decent and a reasonable income, in whatever means, whether it be through the turnstiles or through broadcasting those games.”

Fine Gael TD and former Mayo footballer Alan Dillon said there was “huge frustration” among the public that prominent GAA games were being put behind a paywall.

“By and large, if the game is on a Saturday, that’s more than likely GAAGO, if it’s on a