BBC expand TV deal

THE Ulster Council has finally reached an agreement with the BBC which will see the station screen championship games involving the province’s sides beyond the provincial campaign.

GAA Director General Páraic Duffy was involved in discussions between the provincial council chiefs and the broadcaster which were concluded on Friday night, nine days before the opening Ulster fixture.

All eight of the competition’s football matches will be shown live, as was the case last year.

The agreement reached will allow the BBC to show live coverage of any All-Ireland quarter-final, semi-final or final involving a county from the northern province but excludes All-Ireland qualifiers. The All-Ireland final has been the only non-Ulster Championship game live on BBC in recent years.

RTÉ will screen seven of the Ulster games while Setanta also has rights.

Provincial secretary Danny Murphy, who was critical of the BBC and UTV earlier this year for their lack of GAA coverage, admitted he was “very relieved” with the deal, which takes in 2009 and 2010. “TV coverage of our own championship is quite substantial but it is the post-Ulster championship coverage that has come to a solution,” said Murphy. The BBC will be able to carry live GAA coverage on their analogue service, but not their digital service, for the next two years and Murphy is confident an all-encompassing deal can be agreed for 2011 onwards.