THE GAA HAVE announced their television and radio rights deal for the next five years with RTÉ and Sky Sports set to retain their current TV packages, while in radio RTÉ now have full commentary rights to all games as Newstalk lose out.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

RTÉ have retained access to 31 senior championship games each year including all provincial hurling and football finals, both All-Ireland hurling and two All-Ireland football quarter-finals, and the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals in both football and hurling.

The Sunday Game will be staying put on RTÉ for another five years

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

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The Sky Sports package stays at 14 exclusive games, while they will have the rights to a further six games which they broadcast simultaneously with RTÉ in the latter stages of the All-Ireland senior championships.

For the first time, Sky Sports will have exclusive coverage of a Munster senior hurling championship game.

In radio, RTÉ are the big winners while Newstalk lose out. RTÉ have now secured full and exclusive live rights for all senior championship games. The new deal will see Newstalk awarded score flash rights, similar to the arrangement that Today FM will have.

Newstalk sideline reporter Billy Joe Padden

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

The new rights deal will run from 2017-2022 and will see Sky Sports still involved, three years after their entry to the GAA broadcast market provoked huge debate.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

An interesting development will see the GAA retain its clip rights for all games. This is part of plan to ‘leverage them across its own platforms as part of a wider digital content strategy’.

Football championship sponsors Eir will also have access to these rights while Sky Sports will have clip access for their 14 exclusive games.

Other features of the new deal include:

TG4 will broadcast 85 GAA games a year

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

• TG4 retains rights for Sunday afternoon Allianz league games, the GAA club championship along with the U21 and minor championships.
• Eir Sport will broadcast Saturday night Allianz league games.
• BBC Northern Ireland again will have live TV coverage of the Ulster senior football championship.
• Raidió na Gaeltachta will broadcast GAA games throughout the year.
• Partnerships will Premium Sports (North America – Commerical Premises) and Premier Sports (Britain) have also been renewed.
• The GAA’s existing local radio agreement continues with 20 stations around the country.

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