GAA 'should never become a broadcast everything association': head of GAA+

GAA+ presenters Aisling O'Reilly and Gráinne McElwain with former players and GAA+ pundits, from left, John 'bubbles' O'Dwyer, David Burke, Patrick McBrearty and Stefan Campbell. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

The head of GAA+, the GAA's now wholly-owned streaming platform, has cautioned against going down the road of becoming a 'broadcast everything' association.

Speaking at the launch of the platform's exclusive 40-match broadcast schedule for the Championships, GAA+ head Noel Quinn said the issue of exactly how many games they broadcast is something the GAA will inevitably have to consider.

It was confirmed in February that the GAA paid RTÉ €3m for the national broadcaster's stake in GAA+, which previously operated as GAAGO.

The platform was initially established as a joint venture in 2014 to broadcast GAA games overseas.

Quinn said that with the GAA's various media rights packages locked down until 2027, GAA+ will be 'gunning for more rights' at the next round of discussions. And he noted how the opportunity will present itself for the GAA to potentially make every game available to view, if they want to.

"I do think there's a very particular GAA policy decision to be made in the coming years about whether we become broadcast everywhere," said Quinn.

"So Premier League, 380 games, every match is available. The GAA should never become a broadcast everything association, in my view. We should put bums on seats. It's about participation and the attendance aspect of that.

"So you're trying to strike a balance there between maintaining exposure, maximising fair commercial market value and striking the balance between free-to-air and pay-per-view."

The rebrand from GAAGO to GAA+ took place last year with RTÉ confirming last month that 'the completion of the sale' had occurred.

Season passes for Irish-based users can be purchased for €95 from GAAplus.ie with a 10 percent reduction for GAA members.

Andy Moran's first Championship match as Mayo manager, against London in the Connacht SFC, is the first of the 40 exclusive games on GAA+.

Five provincial football semi-finals will be carried by GAA+ along with 10 live matches from the Munster and Leinster hurling championships.

Four midweek studio shows, ranging from review to analysis format, in both codes, will also be available.

"I think we lead in this space in the country," claimed Quinn. "We're probably toe-to-toe with a lot in Europe.

"The big four in America, and particularly the NBA, is where I probably get a lot of the cues from, in terms of innovation, what they're trialling. Try something this week, if it doesn't work, you can always drop it, but try it anyway."

On the issue of editorial independence, and the fear that GAA+ may potentially steer away from controversial issues or decisions in games because it is owned by the GAA, Quinn rubbished that concern.

"I get asked this question a lot - so no propaganda or censorship," he said. "Yesterday's (review) show, we spoke about half-time incidents in Salthill (between Dublin and Galway). I think if we were trying to dress this up as something that it's not, we wouldn't be covering what people want to see."