Sky Sports to make GAA Championship games widely available

Broadcaster to show 14 live matches on Sky Sports Mix

Sky Sports will televise all of their 14 live GAA Championship games as part of their basic package.

The decision to broadcast their eight exclusive matches including the Cork-Waterford Munster SHC semi-final on October 31 and the six All-Ireland semi-finals and finals they show along with RTÉ means all Sky and Virgin customers in Ireland will be able to watch the games.

The fixtures, beginning with the Leinster SHC first round meeting between Dublin and Laois on October 24, will be shown on Sky Sports Mix, which was set up in 2016 as a channel to provide a sample of the content available on the Sky Sports networks.

Approximately 900,000 homes in Ireland will be able to take in Sky’s inter-county championship matches.

Similar to how counties have streamed their own club games in recent months, Sky would have had the option to utilise their pay-as-you-go internet service Now TV where they provide day and month passes without contractual obligations.

However, with little or no fans expected to be able to attend games they have chosen to make their games available to a wider audience.

It’s a welcome decision by Sky who became media right partners of the GAA in 2014 and comes after the Irish Examiner reported last month that all 47 Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguire Cup fixtures will be either broadcasted on TV or streamed online. 

The premier hurling championship comprises eight provincial clashes, four qualifiers, two All-Ireland quarter-finals, two semi-finals, and the final. The football competition amounts to 27 provincial matches (five Munster, four Connacht, 10 Leinster, eight Ulster), two All-Ireland semi-finals, and the final.

RTÉ will be televising matches across their channels such as RTÉ Two and RTÉ News. They are also producing matches for the GAAGo streaming service where a number of the early provincial football fixtures are to be shown.

On the Halloween weekend, there are 13 Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguire Cup games. Their Championship coverage commences with the Munster first round/Division 1 final meeting of Clare and Limerick in Semple Stadium on October 25, and they will also broadcast the clash between the winners of that game and Tipperary in the following Sunday’s provincial semi-final.

RTÉ also have the rights to the Munster SHC final on November 15 (4pm throw-in) and the football decider on November 22 (1pm).

RTÉ are also set to show a number of Allianz League games. It has already been confirmed they will televise the crunch Division 2 promotion clash between Armagh and Roscommon on Saturday week.

Later that evening, Eir Sports will live broadcast the Dublin-Meath Division 1 game from Parnell Park. Because of the crowd restrictions, the GAA are also said to be looking at showing more league matches on GAAGo.

RTÉ are unlikely to use artificial crowd noises, instead increasing the strength of their microphones on the sideline to amplify the sounds of the onfield action. Sky Sports are reported to be looking at using augmented sound but have admitted it will be difficult.

Sky Sports launch their 2020 Championship coverage tomorrow with pundits Peter Canavan, Kieran Donaghy, Ollie Canning, and Jamesie O’Connor.

Gráinne McElwaine and Brian Carney will present the coverage with Mike Finnerty and Dave McIntyre joined by Paul Earley and Nicky English on commentary.

RTÉ’s team of experts is to include Anthony Daly, Éamonn Fitzmaurice, and Derek McGrath. BBC are to show all eight Ulster SFC matches, six of them live and two deferred, with a panel of pundits featuring Oisín McConville, Marty Clarke, and Martin McHugh.