LIAM O’NEILL AND Paraic Duffy will appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications tomorrow to outline the rationale for the GAA’s new broadcasting contract with Sky Sports.
The GAA President and the Director-General will be speaking after the announcement of the new TV rights deal earlier this month which sees Sky Sports enter the GAA market for the first time.
Under the new deal, Sky Sports have been granted exclusive rights to 14 football and hurling championship games for the next three years.
Their games consist of eight Saturday evening matches in the All-Ireland qualifiers, two All-Ireland football championship quarter-finals, and two Saturday evening and two Sunday provincial championship games.
Former Galway and Mayo manager John O’Mahony, a Fine Gael TD, is the chairman of the committee.
“The decision announced in recent weeks by the GAA to grant Sky Sports exclusive rights to championship games has provoked considerable public debate”, remarked O’Mahony.
“As a committee with responsibilities in the areas of both sport and communications, we look forward to hearing from Liam O’Neill and Páraic Duffy on the benefits they see accruing to their association on foot of deal.
“Committee members will have an opportunity to raise any concerns around new arrangements, which will see 14 matches available only behind Sky’s paywall.
“Other aspects of the broadcasting deal, which provides for enhanced coverage of Gaelic games abroad, will also be raised.”
The meeting takes place tomorrow at 12pm in Leinster House.
Committee on Transport and Communications
Deputies: John O’Mahony (Chair), Paudie Coffey (Vice-Chair), Michael Colreavy, Timmy Dooley, Dessie Ellis, Tom Fleming, Brendan Griffin, Noel Harrington, Seán Kenny, Éamonn Maloney, Helen McEntee, Michael Moynihan, Patrick O’Donovan, Ann Phelan and Mick Wallace.
Senators: Sean D. Barrett, Terry Brennan, Éamonn Coghlan, Paschal Mooney, Ned O’Sullivan and John Whelan.
