Earlier today, Sky Sports announced their fixture list for the 2018 GAA Championships. It follows on the footsteps of RTE releasing their games late last week.
In 2018, both the football and hurling championships have undergone massive changes. The introduction of the "Super 8s" in football mean an extra eight games in the competition, all at the business end of the summer. In hurling, the revamped provincial championships means a huge increase in high profile games between the top counties.
Controversially, the GAA's new Director General Tom Ryan announced at his unveiling last month that all current TV deals would remain in place and there would be no extra games outside of the 45 on the existing deal live on television.
No, we are going to stick with the existing structure of things. We're happy with how the arrangement has worked until now, and we are not looking to change the nuts and bolts of the arrangement.
With six shared games, 14 exclusive to Sky Sports, and 25 exclusive to RTE, the main victim of the changes in the structure will be the provincial football championships.
Naturally, with a front loaded hurling championship, consisting of massive competitive games from the get-go in the new round robin format, a huge number of those games have been selected by the two broadcasters. Likewise, the extra eight games from the Quarter Final series, or the "Super 8s", have understandably all been gobbled up, with seven live on RTE, and five on Sky.
What it means, as was expected, and has now been confirmed, is that there will be very few provincial football games shown live on television.
Outside of the four finals broadcast on RTE, only three further fixtures will be shown by them - Mayo versus Galway this weekend, an Ulster semi-final, and a Leinster semi final most likely between Dublin and Meath. Sky's announcement today contained no provincial football games at all, meaning that these seven will be all we get this year.
Ulster in particular have suffered. Last year, seven of the eight games in the province were broadcast live. This year, it'll be just two. Cavan versus Donegal won't be broadcast this weekend, while, most inexplicably, the Ulster Quarter Final between Monaghan and Tyrone won't get live billing either.
It's also means Dublin's first defence of their Leinster title against either Offaly or Wicklow won't be on television, the first Dubs game not to be since their trip to Longford in 2006.
According to @buttonmoon1979, last Dublin Championship game not to be televised live was away to Longford in 2006.
— Kieran Cunningham (@KCsixtyseven) May 8, 2018
Naturally, there has been some mixed reaction on social media, with a thought that perhaps this is a first sign of the demise of the provincial structure.
Sky Sports have exclusive rights to five of the 12 Super 8 games. They’re not showing any provincial football games so that means there will be just seven of the 29 shown live, four of them finals. RTE showing them all. #GAA
— John Fogarty (@JohnFogartyIrl) May 8, 2018
It's frustrating that Ulster football won't be on TV as much this year but there's a reality to face too - the Munster SHC is just a better competition at the minute. All five teams in it could win it. Not showing Tyrone v Monaghan is a mistake nonetheless #GAA
— Cahair O'Kane (@CahairOKane1) May 4, 2018
I think this could be the beginning of the end for the Provincial Championships.
— Joe Sullivan (@magilljs) May 8, 2018
The television viewing cohort want to watch top games with the top teams when it matters and that is the schedule that RTE have rolled out. The stakes for munster Hurling and leinster Hurling and super 8s is where the summer is. Provincial football is lower in priority than NFL
— Paul O'Brien (@paulob16) May 8, 2018
