GAAGO commits to similar schedule and prices as plans unveiled for 2024 after ‘learning a lot from year one’

The schedule, announced earlier today, will again broadcast 38 games live with the promise of more 'multi-camera' games increasing the quality of production.

The prices will remain much the same too, €79 for a season pass, €69 if bought before Christmas (up €10 from a similar offer in 2022), €12 per game and a 'three for two' offer at €24.

A midweek preview show will also come on stream as part of a package that will have 22 games in the Sam Maguire Cup, nine in the Liam MacCarthy Cup and seven in the Tailteann Cup.

But the focus is most likely to fall on the Munster Hurling Championship, and in particular the anomaly of three of Cork's four round robin games being shown by GAAGO.

The Rebel County’s first round game against Waterford on Sunday April 21, their second round game against Clare in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday April 28 and a third game, against All-Ireland champions Limerick, on Saturday May 11 in Páirc Uí Chaoimh will all be shown by the streaming service.

A fourth Munster hurling game, Waterford v Tipperary in Walsh Park, will be shown on GAAGO on Saturday May 4.

The broadcast of five Munster hurling championship games on GAAGO in 2023 provoked quite a reaction last April and May with even Tánaiste Micheál Martin offering the view that these games should be free-to-air.

But the head of GAAGO Noel Quinn has said that the two Sunday games involving Cork on April 21 and 28 would not otherwise have been shown if GAAGO did not pick them up.

Under the terms of the media rights agreement signed last year, RTE has first picks on a Sunday and clearly did not choose either of Cork's opening games.

"Those are on Sunday afternoons at the same time as an RTE match," said Quinn. "RTE made their picks and two of those four wouldn’t have been broadcast anywhere if GAAGO didn’t broadcast them so rather than go dark, better to pick them up," he added.

The fixtures are made by the provincial councils and the broadcasters make their choices after that.

GAA president Larry McCarthy said there was no conscious effort to row back on GAAGO coverage of the Munster Hurling Championship after last year's furore and he questioned a suggestion that all championship games should be broadcast free-to-air.

"Different things fall out of the fixture list every year but there wasn’t a deliberate attempt to manipulate anything in response to last year," he said.

"We split them very well between free-to-air and GAAGO. In the television business, things are going to be streamed and some are not. If we don't show them, they're not going to be seen."

McCarthy also acknowledged that GAAGO may have got caught up in the web of controversy that engulfed RTÉ last summer.

Quinn said that of around 300 GAA games that will be broadcast live between RTÉ, BBC and TG4 in 2024, only the 38 GAAGO-listed games are behind a paywall, around 15pc, he contended.

"There is this shift towards premium content and people prepared to pay, provided that it's value for money," said Quinn.

"I think we have learned a lot from year one. We did a lot of surveys with subscribers, some good feedback there. Things like digital clips, accessibility and how to cast our stream is something that came through strong.

"We're going to rectify that with 'how to' videos next year. We're already engaging with some of the organisations that work with some of the older members of the community.

"The balance of free-to-air and pay-per-view, the 38 today (GAAGO) versus the 260-odd (free-to-air), people will naturally be drawn to Munster hurling.

"RTÉ will have at least five of the Munster hurling of the 11. There is a May 26 weekend where they might pick that weekend (too)," he suggested.

GAAGO will also show five Leinster Hurling Championship games, among them the Wexford/Galway game which is being played on Saturday May 4.

But Antrim's home game with Wexford on Saturday April 27 and Carlow's home game with Kilkenny on Saturday May 11 will also be shown, opening up coverage for all participating counties.

The GAAGO schedule will include two All-Ireland football quarter-finals on Saturday June 29, another potential point of vexation for TV viewers without a subscription or sufficient broadband in their area to purchase GAAGO.

On that matter, Quinn said they continued to work with National Broadband Ireland with emphasis on improving coverage in rural GAA clubhouses.

"There are already a large number of clubs who can access high speed broadband. There are a number of clubs who won’t be able access that – that’s beyond our control – but I think there has been good progress there even in the last six or nine months," he said.

"It’s great that we’re working with the likes of National Broadband Ireland now. I think we’re speaking to all the right people to mitigate as much as we can."

At the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Sport last July that had invited in representatives of the GAA, Director-General Tom Ryan and Commercial Director Peter McKenna, to discuss the future of sports broadcasting, it was determined that GAAGO did not have clearance to enter a domestic market from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).

Quinn echoed McKenna's comments to the 'Irish Times' last week that because a two-year deal was in place, the advice was that a "notification wasn't necessary."

"There certainly hasn't been a breach flagged in any shape or form," said Quinn who, like McCarthy, confirmed that there had been no communication with the CCPC since August.

The GAA representatives at the Joint Oireachtas Committee hearing had said a review into pricing, particularly the €12 per single game, would take place.

But that review has kept the price at the 2023 rate.

"The feedback wouldn't have suggested that €12 was gouging given multi-camera coverage. So of the 38, we'll actually do more games with additional cameras which is a positive. A lot of the current club games are more (than €12) in some regards,” he said.

"But certainly having looked at other subscription platforms in Ireland, UK, Europe and US, we feel we are absolutely at least on par or maybe a little under some of the price points.

Quinn said that GAAGO was "profitable" after the first year of its entry into the domestic market.

"It bucks the trend with prescription channels because it takes time to build an audience. It was commercially viable. It was a massive outlay and I think at times people say the paywall thing, and we get that,” he said.

"But there’s a massive expenditure here in the first year or two years even. And I think this year we have absorbed a large number of internal costs, so we are shipping additional costs this year versus last year, which is why I’m really proud to freeze the price."

Quinn estimated that the production cost of games at some venues could range between €60,000 and €80,000, especially if coverage is multi-camera.

2024 GAAGO Match Schedule

April 6th

CSFC Quarter final: London v Galway

April 7th

CSFC Quarter final: New York v Mayo

April 13th

-

April 14th

LSFC Quarter Final: Kildare v Westmeath / Wicklow

April 20th

MSFC Semi-final: Kerry v Cork / Limerick

April 21st

MSHC RR1: Waterford v Cork

April 27th

LSHC RR2: Antrim v Wexford

USFC Semi Final (Fermanagh / Armagh v Down / Antrim)

April 28th

MSHC RR2: Cork v Clare

LSFC Semi Final: Kildare / Westmeath / Wicklow v Louth / Carlow / Wexford

LSFC Semi Final: Dublin / Longford / Meath v Off / Laois

May 4th

MSHC RR3: Waterford v Tipperary

LSHC RR3: Wexford v Galway

May 5th

-

May 11th

MSHC RR3: Cork v Limerick

LSHC RR3: Carlow v Kilkenny

Tailteann Cup Rd 1 game

May 12th

-

May 18th

Round Robin SFC Rd 1 x 2 games

Tailteann Cup Rd 2 game

LSHC RR4: Dublin v Kilkenny

May 19th

-

May 25th

Round Robin SFC1 x 2 games

May 26th

LSHC RR5: TBC v TBC

June 1st

Round Robin SFC Rd2 x 2 games

Tailteann Cup Rd 3 game

June 2nd

-

June 8th

Tailteann Cup Preliminary Quarter Finals x 2 games

June 9th

-

June 15th

Round Robin SFC Rd 3 x 2 games

Tailteann Cup Quarter Finals x 2 games

June 16th

Round Robin SFC Rd 3 x 1 game

June 22nd/23rd

AISFC Preliminary Quarter Finals x 4 games

June 29th

AISFC Quarter finals x 2 games