Gaelic Games supporters around the world may breathe a little easier today as new TV match viewing arrangements have been put in place for the season ahead.
The GAA in a statement last night said that Championship action over the summer will be catered by a range of media outlets around the world.
Following the difficulties of Setanta TV in providing continued overseas viewing, the GAA has been putting alternative plans in place.
The new TV arrangements around the world are as follows:
Britain
From April 16, an agreement between the GAA and MSK (to be Premier sport), sees GAA matches available in Britain on Channel 433 on Sky Digital. The channel will be available to approximately 10 million homes. Initially, it will be Free to Air but will revert to a subscription channel by mid-summer. All Allianz GAA Football and Hurling National League and Championship matches shown in Ireland will be available to view in Britain. A range of classic matches will also be shown. All matches will also be available online at www. setanta.com/i/global
North America
All matches will be available on the Premium Sport Pub and Club network. This network has exactly the same distribution as the old Setanta network.
For the first time, Allianz GAA Football and Hurling Nation League matches have also been shown. Delayed coverage of Championship matches will also be shown on Setanta Sport Canada and on MHz Worldwide. MHz worldview is available locally in the Washingon D.C. Metro (as MHz Networks 1) via Comcast, Cox and RCN cable, as well as Verizon FiOS. The channel is also available locally via DirecTV and Dish Network.
Throughout North America, MHz Worldview is available in over half the Top 20 U.S. television markets, in nearly 27m households and through broadcast/cable affiliates in:
Chicago, IL- WYCC
Philadelphia, PA – MiND TV
San Francisco, CA – KCSM;
Washington, DC- WNVC/MHzhttp
For a full list of broadcast/cable affiliate availability across the MHz network, visit http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/gaa-media-coverage/.
Australia
All championship matches will be shown on Setanta Sport which is a subscription channel available in over four million homes on Foxtel Satellite and cable system and also the Austar satellite system.
Asia
Gaelic games will be available on Setanta Asia online and launched on most of the Cable and Satellite networks throughout the continent later this year.
Africa
Gaelic games will be shown on Setanta Africa which is available in 10 million homes in Sub Saharan Africa.
GAA President Christy Cooney in welcoming the new arrangements told of how the overseas units of the GAA play a vital role in the organisation and that it was important that people all over the world could still be able to follow the games at home.
“I welcome this progress which is the culmination of behind the scenes work undertaken by the Association,” said Cooney.
“Our overseas units and their continued passion for our games form a vital strand of the GAA given the large and vibrant Irish communities that are dotted across the globe. I look forward to the provision of a service that will allow so many of our members and supporters follow top level action this coming summer and into the future.”
NOTE
Watch out for GaelicSportsCast’s exclusive interview with Overseas Chairman and former GAA President, Joe McDonagh tomorrow Friday when he speaks about the GAA around the world.
