FREE-to-air GAA coverage nine months a year is the good news for RTE viewers after the Dublin-based broadcaster announced a deal to screen Allianz League and club championship matches for the next three years.
Yesterday the GAA confirmed an agreement with RTE and eir sport, which will see football and hurling League games simulcast by the two broadcasters this season, while RTE will also show live games from the AIB Club Championships and 31 live inter-county Championship games.
“RTE will simulcast four of eir sport's Saturday Allianz League games under lights, with RTÉ bringing its own style and expertise to the coverage, along with the top class editorial, presentation and punditry teams that have made The Sunday Game the home of televised GAA every summer,” read a statement from RTE .
“The weekly Allianz League Sunday highlights show also returns, with the first episode on 27 January.
“RTE's live club championship matches will consist of two matches each weekend, from September through November. Running alongside TG4's existing coverage, RTE will select their own two matches separate from the Irish language broadcaster's choices.”
Declan McBennett, RTE Group Head of Sport said: “In increasing RTE’s live coverage of Gaelic Games across the GAA calendar year, we are reaffirming our commitment to bringing national moments to a national audience, free-to-air and guaranteeing coverage on RTE television for nine months of the year for the next three years.”
Along with the All-Ireland Camogie Championship, RTE's unrivalled GAA coverage will bolster a bumper 2019, with the Euro 2020 qualifiers, Uefa Champions League, Fifa Women's World Cup, Rugby World Cup, and Women's and U20 Six Nations also live on RTE television and the RTE Player this year.
RTE Radio are the exclusive national radio broadcasters for the Championship and Allianz League, while RTE.ie and the RTE News Now app offer unrivalled digital coverage of both Gaelic Football and Hurling.
The GAA’s Commercial & Stadium Director Peter McKenna said: “The profile and interest in both the Allianz Leagues and AIB Club Championships have grown significantly in recent years and this enhanced arrangement with eir sport and RTE will ensure even greater exposure to our games for the foreseeable future.”
