International Rules Broadcast rights: The decision of the GAA to allow Dublin station Newstalk 106 to broadcast live commentary of Sunday's International Rules first Test signals a shake-up in the association's radio policy. At present the GAA's broadcast rights are up for grabs, and for the first time radio will be a separate package.

"Radio's a very loose arrangement, so we have decided to split TV and radio in the current round of rights negotiations," says Dermot Power, the GAA's commercial and marketing manager. "There has traditionally been a divide between national and local coverage, and we may be looking at how we define local."

According to Power, the Newstalk deal breaks new ground. "It's the first time we've entered into an exclusive rights agreement with a commercial station. Newstalk will have the commercial rights, RTÉ obviously have the national rights and BBC Northern Ireland will also be allowed to broadcast, so that coverage can be guaranteed to everyone in Ulster who wants to hear it."

Ger Gilroy, Newstalk's head of sport, sees the arrangement for the international series as having potential for development. Already the station extensively covers Gaelic games, with live commentaries on Dublin's senior league and championship matches, under-21 and some minor championship fixtures, as well as of the club championship.

"It's very good for us," he says. "We want to talk about how we're capable of delivering the GAA to a Dublin market and what the GAA might get out of a relationship with Newstalk. The existing Dublin listenership figures for the GAA are huge, and we would be able to do it in a different way to RTÉ and reach out to other audiences."

This aspect of the arrangement has already commended itself to the GAA. For the International Rules series this year, the association has adopted the promotional framework of the AFL and appointed media partners for the Tests. International Rules has always attracted a certain following that is not traditionally interested in Gaelic games and can be a bridge into a wider market.

The Daily Star is the newspaper partner, and Newstalk is the radio partner for the coming series. Both are associated with the younger, urban and soccer-orientated demographic that the GAA would like to reach.

At present national radio rights are part of the domestic television contract and has always been held by RTÉ. Local rights are more nebulous. Stations are accredited on the basis of covering their county's matches. That simple approach is about to be revised.

"We have to put a new structure on it," says Power. "This could be a model for the future - we'll have to discuss that. It used to be a question of local radio, but now you see them changing hands for €15,000,000 so it's the commercial sector you're dealing with.

"That's a completely different environment, and we may have to challenge assumptions made about our rights."

Ultimately, Croke Park would be keen to see a viable competitor on the broadcasting front. So far the association has been disappointed by the lack of television rivals to the RTÉ monopoly, but there may be potential in radio.

According to Gilroy, a network of the independent stations could pose a viable alternative for the national radio contract.

"It's a definite possibility if you could get local stations around the table, but they don't have a strong tradition of working together. INN (the independent news network) is the most obvious model.

"There might be resistance, but some of it could be dealt with through opt-outs if one station wanted to take local commentary rather than national, but that would be occasional. Achieving it would take a lot of work but it would facilitate competition."

The broadcast rights for the championships ran out with last month's All-Ireland final. The National League and club rights are currently with TG4 and will run until next spring's finals. From then on, the various rights will be synchronised.

At present the GAA is being advised by London media consultants Oliver and Ohlbaum on what packages of rights to offer and what constitutes the best offers. All potential broadcast partners have been circularised about the upcoming round of rights.

"In some cases," says Power, "what we put together the last time may not be suitable this time. There's no point in granting rights that can't be used."

New technology also affects what's on offer. At present Setanta, who hold the overseas broadcasting rights, also have the internet rights. And according to Power, these technologies can help redefine existing commercial arrangements.

"There's our relationship with Vodafone. In the light of WAP rights, that could end up as more of a partnership than a sponsorship model."