Jarlath Burns, the president of GAA, has shared his displeasure regarding recent comments made by the Government criticising the broadcasting of recent games on GAAGo. In a radio conversation on RTÉ, Burns expressed surprise at the remarks made by Taoiseach Simon Harris, leading him to speculate if there was an upcoming election.
The recent discourse surrounding the broadcasting of games on GAAGo, a paid streaming platform, instead of free television channels, was stirred up in the wake of Cork’s unexpected Munster hurling championship win over Limerick showcased on the platform. The platform is jointly owned by the GAA and RTÉ. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste Micheál Martin publicly disagreed with this decision, with Martin voicing his significant concerns regarding the promotion of hurling.
Due to contractual obligations, the weekend’s provincial finals in Ulster and Leinster were broadcasted on terrestrial television instead of the Munster hurling match.
On Monday, Burns remarked on his surprise at the Taoiseach’s comments, reminding everyone that they had previously presented their arguments to an Oireachtas committee without any issues arising, adding that they have only one broadcast partner, RTÉ, which hosts 35 matches.
He argued that in the absence of GAAGO, a number of these games would not have been broadcasted since they only have one broadcasting partner.
Burns, alongside Tom Ryan, the Ard Stiúrthóir, met with the Sports Minister, Thomas Byrne, along with his team last Wednesday and discussed GAAGo. Burns noted that the attendees were content with their replies. Burns reiterated that GAAGo is an excellent service, specifically for overseas exiles who otherwise would not be able to view the games. He also stated that GAA has an expanding global market.
His closing comments again raised the possibility of an imminent election.
Burns further elaborated that “side games” mustn’t be solely broadcasted on GAAGo for the streaming service to be “sustainable”. He remarked, “I won’t apologise in the slightest for striving to garner the maximum possible commercial returns from our games”. He asserted, “We necessitate some games as a lure for individuals who’ll say, ‘A couple of significant games are on, that vindicates my €69 purchase”. “We don’t have shareholders; our constituents are our stakeholders, and they insist that we give our best to finance all our infrastructure schemes. If we exclusively broadcast the main games on free-to-air, GAAGO loses its allure and won’t self-sustain,” he warned.
Regarding Senator Tim Lombard’s proposal for the GAA to present themselves before the Seanad to discuss GAAGo, Burns referred to the previous year’s appearance at the Oireachtas Committee. “I’m not inclined to do that this year; we did it last year”, he stated. “They were quite satisfied with the responses they obtained, and nothing has altered since then. But, I’ll be seeking an immediate meeting with the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in order to clarify their stance on the criticism our association has been facing,” he concluded. “I absolutely won’t regret attempting to maximise commercial benefits from our games,” he persevered.