Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I call for a debate with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on media rights for sporting events. I am particularly concerned about the GAA because last year the majority of that organisation's matches were only available on pay-per-view platforms, which was quite distressing for many. In 2020, all three Cork senior hurling intercounty matches were only available on a pay-per-view platform. This year we had to get to the All-Ireland final before we could watch the team on our national broadcaster. It is our national sport. We invest money in the GAA through sports capital grants and we back our clubs, parishes and counties on an almost religious basis. The situation whereby pay-per-view platforms have exclusive rights to 12 or 14 championship games every year needs to be examined.

Negotiations on media rights will happen again in 2022 and we need a debate with the Minister on those rights and on whether the State should step in. The State should step in and ensure that GAA matches are available on free platforms so everybody has the opportunity to watch them. As I said, the negotiations will happen next year and we need to get ahead of the ball. We need to make sure that we are in front of this issue and that the 2017 arrangement is not repeated, whereby the majority of games are on a single platform, which means that the section of society that does not have the ability to pay is alienated. The other issue is that the aforementioned arrangement forcing people to go to pubs to watch matches. I have a difficulty with parents having to take young children to the local pub to see their beloved county play a match. It makes no logical sense and undermines the community ethos of the GAA. It is important that we schedule a debate with the Minister on media rights, sport and society.