*Darragh Lohan under pressure from Seán Connellan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE’s next Munster senior hurling championship games will be aired only on the GAA’s streaming platform, GAA+.
Clare’s home tie with Tipperary in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Cíosóg on Saturday May 10th will be shown exclusively on GAA+. The streaming platform will also feature this Sunday’s championship opener between Tipperary and Limerick with the meeting of Munster champions Limerick and Waterford also behind the paywall service.
Following a draw with Cork and a loss to Waterford, this is a game of massive importance to Brian Lohan’s side.
The new platform replaces GAAGO following an agreement between the GAA and RTÉ for the association to buy the national broadcaster out of their 50 percent share of the old service. A season pass for Irish-based viewers will cost €79 while GAA members will receive a 10% discount. Individual matches will cost €12 with three for two bundles also available. All care-giving institutions will receive free season passes through the HSE and NHI.
GAA+ functions as a direct successor to GAAGO with forty championship games to feature on the platform this season.
Clare’s footballers could yet have an airing with fifteen games from the All-Ireland SFC group stages, preliminary quarter-finals, and quarter-finals exclusive to GAA+.
Hurler of the Year Shane O’Donnell took issue with the previous streaming platform last year. The Éire Óg man said that he was unhappy with his image being used without his knowledge on the streaming service which has remained a bone of contention with supporters of every county. Speaking last year, O’Donnell stated that “it feels like in some ways you’re being exploited as some kind of asset rather than being thought about as a player”.
The double All-Ireland winner stated that he did not agree with the existence of a pay-per-view platform for GAA games, calling it a “not particularly popular initiative”. He also highlighted the obligation of the association to make matches available to view for all, saying that the GAA should be “swallowing the cost of promoting the game and paying to televise these games. I don’t think that’s something out of their budget”.
GAAGO earned almost €5 million in profits in 2023 although figures are expected to be offset this year with the GAA’s acquisition of the RTÉ shares.
