LAST UPDATE | 9 May 2023
VIRGIN MEDIA TELEVISION has criticised the partnership between RTÉ and the GAA through the GAAGO streaming platform, saying other broadcasters were not approached about the possibility of airing some GAA matches after Sky Sports’ rights to do so ended last year.
The two organisations have been the subject of backlash in recent days after several high-profile matches were only available to view on the paywalled streaming service, instead of on free-to-air television.
Speaking to The 42 on Monday, the GAA’s Director of Communications Alan Milton said that the GAA “don’t have another terrestrial partner, no-one else expressed interest, and to that end, we decided that GAAGO was the way to proceed”.
But in a statement today, Virgin Media said they were never approached by the GAA to gauge their interest, while The 42 understands that TG4 were not approached either.
Virgin Media said: “RTÉ is a 50% shareholder in GAAGO. This has never been clarified in any editorial discussion about GAAGO and the decision not to show key games on Free to Air television.
“When Sky Television decided not to renew its GAA rights, the GAA did not approach other broadcasters to ascertain whether they would be interested in broadcasting these games but arbitrarily decided to put them behind a paywall.
“The question must be asked, did RTE pay anything for these rights or did they just agree to keep them behind a paywall to drive incremental revenues for both partners in GAAGO, i.e. RTÉ and the GAA?”
The GAA was heavily criticised over the weekend after an encounter between Tipperary and Cork in the Munster senior hurling final was aired on GAAGO instead of on free-to-air television. There was also backlash last weekend when Clare’s victory over Limerick was also streamed behind a paywall.
The association and RTÉ have said it is not feasible to show all GAA matches on free-to-air TV.
Virgin Media said that RTÉ “now has more sports rights than it can show on its channels, with licence payers now being forced to further subsidise RTÉ by paying for GAA Sports content through its joint-venture with the GAA.”
It said RTÉ had been given “multi-million increases in State funding” in recent years.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said today that the GAA and RTÉ had to decide which matches should be streamed and which should be free to air, but Tánaiste Micheál Martin said yesterday that he believed all matches should be free to view.
Correction about TV3
Virgin Media’s statement also sought to correct an error stated by former GAA president Liam O’Neill. Speaking last night on RTÉ One’s Upfront With Katie Hannon programme, O’Neill said: “We did it in the best interests of games because, at the time TV3 was going out, and it ultimately went out of business. We would only [have] had one station covering, we thought it was best to examine other options.”
The statement said: “Virgin Media Television wishes it to be clarified that TV3 did not go out of business.”
It said the broadcaster was purchased by Virgin Media in 2015 and subsequently rebranded, “based on its continuous success and achievements as a leading Irish broadcaster.”
Speaking on the Six One news this evening, RTÉ Head of Sport Declan McBennett said the definition of the “most important” matches is subjective beyond the matches RTÉ is mandated to broadcast. “Not all of them can be covered,” he said.
He added that the allocation of match rights was a matter for the GAA.
“There needs to be a second outlet. In previous times that has been TV3, now Virgin [Media], then it was Sky Sports, and the GAA have decided under this rights allocation that GAAGO is the best outlet for them.”
– Additional reporting by Sinéad Farrell
