BBC see the GAA as a ‘special’ organisation

THE GAA’s new five-year media rights deal saw Sky exiting, with an expanded GAAGO service being rolled out, along with a more influential BBC package. It led to Virgin Media’s managing director Paul Farrell being critical of it, insdisting it almost amounted to a State monopoly. Plenty others went on record as saying competition is vital to keeping rights deals in a good place. But how does Glen Killane it all?

‘You can look at it from two perspectives. The GAA going direct to consumer with GAAGO, the collaboration with RTÉ which was quite a forward-thinking initiative when it came out a number of years back – that opportunity is a good one for the GAA to take. Obviously precipitated by not being able to reach an agreement with Sky.

‘What’s happening in the market is telecommunications going a bit cold on sport. Sky are very much in the Telco space as well. Maybe they are pulling in their horns a little bit and looking at core elements like the Premier League. And they have the deal with the women’s football team that has been hugely successful as well.

‘It’s kind of worked out well for RTÉ but it could work out very well for the GAA in testing the waters on their direct consumer play. It will be driven by the quality of the games they can offer in GAAGO and the promotional capacity of that. Are people prepared to pay for it?’

He sees great potential in the expanded BBC element to the deal and the idea of an All-Ireland final appearing on one of their main channels. ‘I think it can only be good. I had a conversation with one of the senior BBC executives and they’re really enthusiastic about it. I’m a big proponent of what the GAA are about. I believe in what they do. ‘They are a unique organisation. I believe the BBC

see that.’