Councillors urged to support free-to-air GAA motion

Councillors across Ireland are being urged to back a motion calling for all GAA championship matches to be broadcast free-to-air in 2027. The push follows ongoing political scrutiny of high-profile games on the subscription platform GAA+, with councillors in Kerry recently passing an emergency motion urging Croke Park to remove paywalls for inter-county championship fixtures. The article notes that two All-Ireland football quarter-finals on Saturday—Cork vs Mayo and Tyrone vs Kerry—were on GAA+, while other matches this year are available free-to-air on RTÉ. Live rights are shared by RTÉ, BBC and GAA+, with 40 games on the streaming service, and the current deal is due to expire at the end of the 2027 season. Fine Gael Senator Mike Kennelly wrote to whips at all 31 local authorities asking them to table motions. The GAA’s Jarlath Burns said the organization shows 300 free-to-air games annually but that not every match can be broadcast, citing revenue and distribution limits, while Wexford’s Derek Kent is set to succeed Burns as president in the new year.