Championship Live is TV3

TV3 Ireland

TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...

's main Gaelic games

Gaelic games

Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

 television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 programme. Typically, it is shown on TV3 on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons during the All-Ireland championships in both hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 and football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

, showing live coverage of the day's match.

History

In 2007 it was announced that TV3 had signed a three-year deal with the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 which would see the independent station broadcast thirty games between 2008 and 2010. While Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...

 and TG4

TG4

TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....

 had shown National League and club championship games before, this was the first time since 1962 that senior inter-county championship games would not be screened exclusively on RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

. TV3 also announced that Championahip Throw-In, a weekly magazine programme, would also be broadcast. All of TV3's new GAA-themed programmes were launched at Croke Park

Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

 on 15 May 2008.

Following the completion of the initial three-year deal in 2010, the GAA were satisfied to give TV3 an expanded role in Gaelic games broadcasting. A second three-year deal saw TV3 get exclusive rights to broadcast eleven matches, albeit only one match more than the original deal, however, the deal now included All-Ireland football quarter-finals and both All-Ireland minor finals.

Series 1

For the first series the programme started an hour before throw-in and remained on air for an hour after the end of the game. Championship Live was broadcast for the first time on Sunday 1 June 2008. The programme was broadcast live from the Gaelic Grounds

Gaelic Grounds

The Gaelic Grounds or Páirc na nGael is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Limerick City, Ireland, home to the Limerick hurling and football teams....

 in Limerick and featured the Munster Hurling Championship quarter-final

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....

 between Clare

Clare GAA

The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....

 and Waterford

Waterford GAA

The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...

. The other games broadcast during the first series were the Leinster Football Championship quarter-final

Leinster Senior Football Championship

The GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...

 between Dublin

Dublin GAA

Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...

 and Louth, both Leinster Football Championship semi-finals, the Leinster Hurling Championship final

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....

, the Connacht Football Championship final

Connacht Senior Football Championship

The Bank of Ireland Connacht Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition for the senior county teams of Connacht GAA. A series of games are played during the summer months and the final is played in July....

, the Ulster Football Championship final

Ulster Senior Football Championship

For information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...

 and one game each from the three rounds of the All-Ireland football qualifiers.

Series 2

The second series of Championship Live followed the same format as the first series. Once again TV3 had exclusive rights to ten championship games. The opening programme of the second series was broadcast on 7 June 2009 and featured coverage of the Munster Football Championship semi-final

Munster Senior Football Championship

The Munster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Munster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Munster Council and are played during the summer months...

 clash between Cork and Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...

. The other games covered live included one Munster Hurling Championship semi-final, one Leinster Senior Football Championship semi-final, the Munster Football Championship final, the Leinster Football Championship final, the Connacht Football Championship final and the Leinster Hurling Championship final. TV3 were also granted "first pick" rights to the last three rounds of the All-Ireland football qualifiers.
qualifying rounds.

Series 3

The first programme in the third series of Championship Live aired on 14 June 2010. Broadcast live from the studio in Croke Park

Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

, that programme featured the Leinster Football Championship quarter-final between Dublin and Wexford

Wexford GAA

The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...

. The following week Championship Live broadcast their very first "double header" with a Leinster Hurling Championship semi-final and a Munster Hurling Championship semi-final. One week later the programme monopolised Gaelic games coverage once again with a "double header" featuring a Leinster Football Championship semi-final a Connacht Football Championship semi-final. TV3 also had the exclusive rights to the Munster Football Championship final, the Connacht Football Championship final and also had "first pick" rights in the decisive qualifying rounds of the All-Ireland football qualifiers.

Series 4

After the renewal of the broadcasting contract with the GAA, the first Championship Live of the fourth series aired on 5 June 2011. That programme was broadcast live from the Croke Park studio and featured the Leinster Football Championship quarter-final between Dublin and Laois

Laois GAA

The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...

. The other games covered live included one Munster Hurling Championship semi-final, the Leinster Hurling Championship final, the Connacht Football Championship final, the Ulster Football Championship final, "first pick" rights for the second and fourth rounds of the All-Ireland football qualifiers, two All-Ireland Football Championship quarter-finals and both All-Ireland minor finals.

Presenters, pundits and commentators

Former newspaper editor and Today FM

Today FM

Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...

 presenter Matt Cooper was unveiled as the presenter of Championship Live at the show's launch in 2008 while three guest panelists usually join him for each match.

The inaugural Championship Live team also included commentators Mike Finnerty and Trevor Welch, while TV3's Gaelic Games correspondent Kieran McSweeney and TV3 News

TV3 News

TV3 News is the television and internet news service from TV3 in Ireland. Its flagship bulletin is at 17:30, hosted by Alan Cantwell, Colette Fitzpatrick and Elaine Crowley. TV3 News produces bulletins broadcast live on TV3 each day and online at tv3.ie/news...

's sports reporter Sinéad Kissane were included as sideline reporters. Welch left the Gaelic games programme in 2009 in favour of concentrating on TV3's soccer coverage. He was replaced by Seán Walsh from Galway Bay FM

Galway Bay FM

Galway Bay FM is an Irish independent local radio station and operates under a license from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Established in 1989, the station broadcasts from studios in Galway, serving the city and County Galway.-Programming:...

.

The programme's hurling analysts are Nicky English

Nicky English

Nicholas J. English , better known as Nicky English, is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Lattin-Cullen and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1982 until 1996...

, Jamesie O'Connor

Jamesie O'Connor

Jamesie O'Connor is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club St. Joseph's Doora-Barefield and with the Clare senior inter-county team from 1993 until 2004.-Biography:...

, Liam Griffin

Liam Griffin

Liam Griffin is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling at various times with his local clubs Rosslare and Newmarket-on Fergus with the Wexford and Clare senior inter-county teams in the 1960s. Griffin later served as manager of the Wexford senior inter-county team...

 and Daithí Regan

Daithí Regan

Daithí Regan is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Birr and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team between 1989 and 1999. Regan currently works as a hurling analyst with Newstalk's Off The Ball and with TV3.-Club:Regan played his club hurling with...

. The football analysts are David Brady, Peter Canavan

Peter Canavan

Peter Canavan is manager of Fermanagh and an Irish former Gaelic football player for Tyrone, and is one of the most decorated players in the game's history, winning two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, six GAA All Stars Awards , four provincial titles, and two National Leagues and...

, Senan Connell

Senan Connell

Senan Connell was an Irish Gaelic footballer from Dublin. He played his club football for Na Fianna on Dublins Northside.When he was a regular for Dublin, he played at either half-forward or right half-forward. Senan was part of the Leinster Senior Football winning Dublin sides in 2002 and 2005...

, Paul Earley

Paul Earley

Paul Earley is a former Irish sportsman who played Australian rules football for Melbourne in the Victorian Football League and Gaelic football for Roscommon GAA....

, Joe Kernan

Joe Kernan

Joseph "Joe" Eugene Kernan is an American politician who became the 48th Governor of Indiana on September 13, 2003 upon the death of Frank O'Bannon. He was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1946. Kernan is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to becoming the governor, he served as the mayor of South...

 and Eugene McGee.