It was GAAGO or nought for Cork's opening two Munster SHC games, insist GAA
Cork's Meeting With Ireland Champions View Limerick Be Subscriber Those Will Have May All Next Corkgo: Shc To To Munster A Gaaago Wishing
Cork’s opening two games in the 2024 Munster senior hurling championship against Waterford and Clare would not be shown anywhere if GAAGO didn’t pick them, the GAA have claimed.
All but one of Pat Ryan’s team’s provincial round-robin games are to be streamed on the joint GAA-RTÉ subscription service.
The streaming platform will provide live coverage of the opener with Waterford in Walsh Park on Sunday April 21, the Clare clash in Páirc Ui Chaoimh seven days later followed by the round 3 affair with Limerick at home on Saturday, May 11.
In total, four Munster SHC games will be available live on GAAGO, the other game being the round 3 game between Waterford and Tipperary in Walsh Park on Saturday, May 4. This past season, five Munster SHC matches were streamed.
It is possible Cork’s final round game against Tipperary in Thurles on May 19 will be televised live by RTÉ but of all five participating counties they will feature most on GAAGO in 2024.
Waterford will appear twice and Clare, Limerick and Tipperary once. In this past season's Munster SHC, Clare and Tipperary were on it three times, Waterford twice and Cork, and Waterford once.
Unlike last year where high-profile Saturday games seemed the preserve of GAAGO, they are switching days to show Cork’s first two provincial fixtures.
As per contrast, RTÉ have first choice of Sunday matches.
“There are four Munster hurling matches and two of those are on Sunday afternoons at the same time as an RTÉ match,” explained head of GAAGO and GAA marketing Noel Quinn.
“RTÉ made their picks and two of those four wouldn’t have been broadcast anywhere if GAAGO didn’t broadcast them so rather than go dark, better to pick them up.”
RTÉ are set to show at least five Munster SHC games live, starting with the Clare-Limerick opener on April 21, a repeat of the last two finals.
The April 20 Munster football semi-final between Kerry and the winners of Cork and Limerick’s quarter-final will also be covered on GAAGO.
After a debut season which drew heavy criticism from politicians, GAA president Larry McCarthy hopes more people will be accepting of the GAAGO initiative.
“Everything new has a bedding-in period and I think this will bed in very well. People simply get used to it. It’s an exciting schedule.”
Originally for the diaspora, it was mentioned at the joint-Oireachtas committee meeting in July that GAAGO becoming a pay-per-view service in Ireland may breach consumer law but there has been no indication of such from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPA).
Quinn said: “The CCPA they are not investigating, they are merely looking for information as it stands and a two-year arrangement a lot of due consideration both parties put into that.
"A notification wasn't necessary based on the term of that two-year domestic deal which was commensurate with the joint Oireachtas committee as well.”
Final revenue figures for GAAGO are not yet available – GAA director general Tom Ryan indicated in July it would be approximately €4m. “It was profitable,” confirmed Quinn.
“It bucks the trend with prescription channels because it takes time to build an audience, as we are, but yes it was commercially viable.
“It was a massive outlay and I think at times people say the paywall thing, and we get that, but there’s a massive expenditure here in the first year or two years even, and I think this year we have absorbed a large number of internal costs.
"So we are shipping additional costs this year versus last year, which is why I’m really proud to freeze the price and we haven’t increased the season pass from €79 or less with the membership discount.”
A pre-Christmas bundle of €69 has been made available with GAA members receiving a 10% discount off the full season pass. There will also be “three for two” bundles and the individual game pass remains at €12.
Quinn admitted his estimate that there are “hundreds of thousands of dodgy boxes in Ireland” are an issue for GAAGO among other broadcast companies.
“FACT, the Federation for Copyright Theft, who we're also engaging with, they are pushing out more things to keep people aware of it.
“So that's helpful for us, that a policing body or governing body are saying 'We're coming for you'. But like, it is absolutely rife. There's no denying that. But it is something that every subscription channel seems to be battling with at the minute.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy confirmed the proposal to remove Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Longford and Louth from the Allianz Hurling League from 2025 has been referred to a new hurling development committee, not withdrawn.
An expected vote on the recommendation at Saturday’s Central Council did not take place. Instead, a new body chaired by Kildare’s Colm Nolan will consider it.
“It's dead for 2025 but it's not dead, they will consider it,” said McCarthy, who explained the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) put forward the recommendation based on feedback from the five counties.
“We were in consultation with the county boards. They were quite in favour of what the CCCC wanted and then when they had full committee meetings that changed obviously.”
The hurling development taskforce also includes Éibhear O’Dea (Limerick), Kieran Farmer (Fermanagh), Keith Higgins (Mayo), Darragh Cox (Sligo), Joey Carton (Waterford), Kevin Kelly (Derry), Paddy Scales (Offaly) and Ryan Gaffney (Armagh, camogie representative).
Connacht SFC quarter-final: London v Galway.
Connacht SFC quarter-final: New York v Mayo.
Leinster SFC quarter-final: Kildare v Westmeath/Wicklow.
Munster SFC semi-final: Kerry v Cork/Limerick.
Munster SHC Round 1: Waterford v Cork.
Leinster SHC Round 2: Antrim v Wexford; Ulster SFC semi-final: Fermanagh/Armagh v Down/Antrim.
Munster SHC Round 2: Cork v Clare. Leinster SFC semi-finals: Kildare/Westmeath/Wicklow v Louth/Carlow/Wexford; Dublin/Longford/Meath v Offaly/Laois.
Munster SHC Round 3: Waterford v Tipperary. Leinster SHC Round 3: Wexford v Galway.
Munster SHC Round 3: Cork v Limerick; Leinster SHC Round 3: Carlow v Kilkenny. Tailteann Cup, Round 1 x 1 game.
Sam Maguire Cup Round 1 x 2 games; Tailteann Cup, Round 2 x 1 game. Leinster SHC, Round 4: Dublin v Kilkenny.
Sam Maguire Cup Round 1 x 2 games.
Leinster SHC, Round 5 TBC.
Sam Maguire Cup Round 2 v 2 games; Tailteann Cup, Round 3 x 1 game.
Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-finals v 2 games.
Sam Maguire Cup, Round 3 x 2 games; Tailteann Cup quarter-finals x 2 games.
Sam Maguire Cup, Round 3 x 1 game.
Sam Maguire Cup preliminary quarter-finals v 4 games.
Sam Maguire Cup quarter-finals x 2 games.