Competition watchdog tight-lipped on GAAGO correspondence

The unexpected reopening of the media rights deal midway through the current agreement has opened the door to TG4 and Virgin Media to throw their hat in the ring.

GAA RIGHTS: The GAA has opened bids for the rights to GAAGO broadcast package. Picture: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Tue, 06 Aug, 2024 - 19:30

Eoghan Cormican

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is remaining tight-lipped on its correspondence with the GAA that has prompted Croke Park to seek expressions of interest for the package of games belonging to GAAGO for the next three years.

The GAA, on Tuesday morning, went to tender for those media rights two years into the five-year agreement it struck with GAAGO in late 2022.

Although GAAGO will likely hold onto their package at the end of this bidding process, the unexpected reopening of the media rights deal midway through the current agreement has opened the door to TG4 and Virgin Media to throw their hat in the ring before next Monday's closing date. Similarly, there is an opportunity for Sky Sports to re-enter the GAA broadcasting market.

The involvement of the CCPC and subsequent GAA advertisement seeking expressions of interest is believed to centre on how Croke Park conducted its business after Sky withdrew late on in 2022 negotiations. The GAA did not re-open the bidding at that juncture, instead awarding the rights to GAAGO, the subscription-based streaming service that is a collaboration between RTÉ and the GAA.

And where the previous Sky package entitled them to broadcast 14 exclusive live games, as well as the All-Ireland semi-finals and final, GAAGO broadcast 38 live games in both 2023 and 2024.

When contacted by the Irish Examiner, the CCPC was not willing to comment on its communication with the GAA.

“The CCPC has engaged with both GAA and RTÉ on the topic of GAAGO. We are unable to release the contents of our correspondence or comment further at this time,” the statement read.

Following two successive weekends at the end of April and beginning of May where no Munster or Leinster hurling championship game was broadcast on terrestrial television, Cork’s two-time All-Ireland winning hurler Tom Kenny described GAAGO as a “money-making racket”.

There is no change to RTÉ’s current 31-game package.