February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The national broadcaster failed to secure web rights from the GAA in time to broadcast the All-Ireland final between Tyrone and Kerry, which took place last Sunday.
Anyone who logged on to the RTE website expecting to listen to the match instead found themselves hearing a program about how salmon spawn in the mid-Atlantic, indicating that the station would not be broadcasting the All-Ireland hurling, football or camogie finals online as had been
RTE failed to secure rights to broadcast the All-Ireland finals last year as well, prompting speculation that that the national broadcaster and the national sporting association are feuding over financial issues.
“It’s not about the money, not really,” said Dermot Power, commercial and marketing manager with GAA in an interview with the Irish Echo. He would not disclose how much the GAA wished to charge RTE for international broadcasting rights to GAA matches.
“Its not worth that much to us,” he said. “It’s just like anything, negotiations there’s always a few sticking points. We hope to have it up and running by next year.”
GAA fans in New York had the option of either listening to the match on WFUV Fordham University Radio or paying to subscribe to Setanta, which holds streamed broadcasting rights to GAA matches, to watch the match on television.
Those who were reliant on tuning in over the Internet however, had to make to with hearing tales of Tyrone’s 1-16 to 2-10 victory over Kerry second-hand.
“A number of local radio stations broadcast it, but RTE has to do everything by the book,” according to a spokesperson for the station.
“We were in negotiations but it didn’t work out in time, we’re not at liberty to talk about the reasons why as negotiations are ongoing.”
“Its regrettable because of the fact there’s such a high level of interest in the GAA in cities with high concentrations of Irish people such as New York,” according to Jimmy Deenihan, Former Kerry footballer and Fine Gael TD for Kerry North.
“People who have been disappointed should contact RTE, GAA and their public representatives in Ireland to express their displeasure at RTE and GAA’s failure to broadcast the match.”
Sinn F