GAAGO has unveiled a new punditry team as it announced that its streaming service will broadcast 38 games exclusively in next year’s Championship.
A joint venture between the GAA and RTE, GAAGO will show 22 Sam Maguire Cup games, nine from the Liam MacCarthy Cup and seven from the Tailteann Cup in 2023, with Michael Murphy, Marc O Se and Paddy Andrews coming on board as football analysts, Seamus Hickey and Tommy Walsh covering hurling while presenter Grainne McElwain moves from Sky.
Fans can access the 38 games live or on-demand in HD quality for a special launch price of just €59 up until December 31, before it increases to €79.
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Individual pay-per-game matches will be available for €12, a ‘three-for-two’ bundle deal will cost €24 and GAA members will receive 10% off any full price (€79) subscription. GAA clubs will be able to avail of a group pass for €150 and care-giving locations will watch for free using complimentary login codes distributed by county board PROs.
The venture comes on the back of Sky Sports ending its broadcast partnership with the GAA after nine seasons earlier this year, with GAAGO stepping in to fill the void and RTE remaining as the main rights holder.
The arrival of Sky into the market back in 2014 saw the GAA ship heavy criticism, largely because it was a subscription service but GAA president Larry McCarthy said that the opposition largely dissipates when the money is going closer to home.
He said: “It's a pay model but we learned over Covid that people are quite willing to pay and the resistance to paying and having stuff behind a paywall diminished significantly.
“Counties are doing it all the time and people don't have any hesitation in paying whatever they're paying.
“The value is incredible and what I like about it in particular is that we're giving GAA members, through Foireann, a discount and we're giving clubs a discount. We're identifying our own members as being important in this, even though it is a commercial entity.”
McCarthy insisted that the GAA isn’t losing out commercially due to the departure of Sky, citing that GAAGO is a separate entity, split 50-50 between the GAA and RTE.
“There was a rights bid made by GAAGO and that was somewhat close to the equivalent of what we would have been getting from Sky. So no, we're not losing anything on it.”
And he said that there will be no editorial constraints placed on the GAAGO coverage, despite the company being closely aligned to the GAA.
“Technically GAAGO is not within, it's a joint partner. It's another company essentially. If they want to criticise us, and it's justified, then by all means criticise us.
“These games are live so we’re not going to sanitise them in any way. I think you’ll get it warts and all.”
GAAGO’s 38 Exclusive Championship Matches in 2023
(Throw-in time TBC where not stated)
Sat 8 April
CSFC New York v Leitrim (10pm Irish time)
Sat 22 April
USFC Cavan v Antrim/Armagh, Breffni Park / Corrigan Park (6pm)
LSHC Galway v Wexford (5pm)
MSFC Tipperary/Waterford v Kerry
Sun 23 April
MSHC Clare v Tipperary (4pm)
LSFC Dublin v Wexford/Laois
Sat 29 April
USFC Ferm/Der v Tyr/Mon (5pm)
MSHC Limerick v Clare (7pm)
Sun 30 April
LSFC Semi Finals (2 x games)
Sat 6 May
MSHC Cork v Tipperary (7pm)
LSHC Dublin v Wexford (5pm)
Sun 7 May
LSHC Antrim v Kilkenny
Sat 13 May
MSHC Waterford v Clare (6pm)
Tailteann R1 ‘Game of the Week’
Sat 20 May
SFC Rd1 (2 x games)
LSHC Kilkenny v Dublin (6pm)
Tailteann Cup Rd2 ‘Game of the Week’
Sat 27 May
SFC Rd1 (2 x games)
Sun 28 May
MSHC/LSHC round robin (1 x game)
Sat 3 June
SFC Round 2 (2 x games)
Sun 4 June
SFC Rd2 (1 x game)
Tailteann Cup Rd 3 ‘Game of the Week’
Sat 10 June
Tailteann Preliminary Quarter Finals (2 x games)
Sat 17 June
SFC Rd 3 (Simultaneous T/I times) (2 x games)
Sun 18 June
SFC Rd 3 (2 x games)
Tailteann Cup Quarter Finals (2 x games)
Sat 24 June
SFC Prelim Quarter Finals (2 x games)
Sat 1 July
SFC Quarter Finals (2 x games)
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