Counties to get three times more from TV companies for televised finals

St Finbarr's vs Castlehaven in the Bon Secours Cork County Senior Football Championship semi-final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Counties are to receive €15,000, three times as much as they are currently receiving, from tv companies to show their county finals live.

Earlier this month, the Irish Examiner reported that boards would be paid significantly more in live broadcast fees. It is now understood the flat €5,000 live payment is to be increased significantly for major club championship games with €10,000 being provided for a county semi-final.

The GAA’s media rights workgroup have worked in tandem with Central Council to augment the fees as there are concerns counties’ preference for controlling their own broadcasting will cost the GAA millions in rights agreements with national broadcasters.

“Previously, the GAA Finance Department paid €5,000 (per live club game) and €2,500 (per deferred club game) to Counties where TV coverage was present,” write the GAA’s media rights workgroup. “However, due to counties’ appetite to live stream their own games and charge supporters directly as a way to generate greater income, there has been a hesitancy to accommodate national partners in some counties in recent years.

“A continuation of this trend will end any interest that a national broadcast partner has in our club championship broadcast package and result in a multi-million euro financial loss to the Association over the lifetime of the contract.

“First right of refusal must be granted to national broadcast partners going forward but equally those facilitating such a situation should be compensated to an appropriate level based on the current climate.” 

In 2019, Kerry declined a request from TG4 to show their senior county final between Dr Crokes and East Kerry in Austin Stack Park for fears it would impact the size of the attendance, which in the end was 8,268.

It came after they allowed a St Brendan’s-Legion and East Kerry-Dingle quarter-final double-header to be broadcast live on RTÉ, which the board executive later estimated caused a 35% reduction in the crowd.

However, the workgroup believe that theory does not hold up in every county: “There is sporadic evidence on whether a live TV broadcast actually does impact venue footfall or not. This has proven to be the case in some counties but not in others in the past. The on-screen exposure for local sponsors and the general showcasing of player talent from the host county are often seen as major benefits to facilitating TV partners.” 

Provincial club games will continue to be within the remit of the GAA’s national TV partners with the same payment structure for county championships.

The workgroup also stress the widespread streaming during the height of the pandemic is not conducive in normal times. “A ‘broadcast everywhere and everything’ approach, the type deployed during the lockdown for understandable reasons, is not the future model as such an option would likely see dwindling crowds, subsequent poorer playing environments for players and an altogether diminished aesthetic over time.” 

The GAA’s last five-year media rights agreement concluded last month but was extended for one further season because there was no confirmed senior football championship structure before Congress endorsed the green plan in February.

Shortly to be announced, the new cycle of packages (2023-27) is not expected to be significantly different from the last, although the Irish Examiner reported earlier this year that BBC are to receive substantially more with live international access to All-Ireland semi-finals and finals from next year. Latter-stage championship fixtures involving Ulster counties could also be made available to them.