On-trade

Sky wins GAA viewing rights

Sky Sports pub and club customers will be able to enjoy watching the two most popular participation sports in the country after Sky secured the rights to show the All-Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships in a three-year deal with the GAA to show live matches from June 2014

Hurling and Gaelic football are Ireland’s most popular participation sports with over 2,500 clubs across Ireland.

Sky Sports will have live coverage plus the Semi-Finals and Finals from each sport as a result of the agreement which allows it to show 20 matches including the Semi-Finals and Finals exclusively live in the UK with 14 matches exclusively live in Ireland and with the Semi-Finals and Final also live.

Through 24-hour news channel Sky Sports News, midweek highlights as well as news, interviews and results will now be available.

Sky Sports’ live coverage of the All-Ireland Championships begins in Nowlan Park with Kilkenny v Offaly in the All Ireland Leinster Hurling Championship on 7th June with the ultimate goal of reaching the impressive 82,000-seater Croke Park stadium in Dublin to contest the Final.

“I’m sure viewers will be captivated by the thrill and passion of Gaelic football and hurling,” said Managing Director of Sky Sports Barney Francis, “We’re excited to be working with the GAA and providing extensive coverage to their exhilarating sports throughout the Summer. These matches will join a great line-up of year-round Irish sport on Sky Sports.”

David Rey, Managing Director of Sky Business, added, “The All-Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships will serve as a strong footfall driver for Irish pubs and clubs this season. These new rights are part of our commitment to investing in the very best live content to drive value for Irish licensees and joins our already strong line-up which includes the Barclays Premier League, UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, Euro 2016 Qualifiers, Heineken Cup, Irish Rugby Union Autumn Internationals, The Pro 12 Rugby and Summer tour to Argentina as well as the Irish Open golf.”

Managing Director of Sky Ireland JD Buckley added, “Sky Sports will offer world class production values and a great viewing experience to GAA fans across the country. This marks another milestone in our continued investment in Ireland to better satisfy our customers.”

GAA President Liam Ó Néill believes that this agreement with Sky Sports will help bring the quality and excitement of its games to a wider international audience.

“Gaelic games are national games played in a small country and must compete for audience loyalty with the hugely powerful sporting and marketing resources of international sports,” he said GAA President Liam Ó Néill, “We welcome our new partnership with Sky Sports and firmly believe that their coverage of our games will bring a new excitement to our championships.”

Sky is investing over €1 billion in Ireland over five years. This includes an investment in people as the business now employs almost 1,000 in Ireland providing products and services including HD and 3D. Sky is the largest advertiser in Ireland, backing up a large investment in content. The business also makes a broader contribution with initiatives in Ireland including Sky Sports Living For Sport which uses sports stars and sports skills to improve the lives of students in secondary schools.

Visit www.sky.com/business for more information and/or follow us on Twitter at @SkySportsPub.


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