Friday night games may help TV demand

RTÉ head of sport Declan McBennett has defended the organisation's coverage of Gaelic games, while admitting that it's not in his power to satisfy the demands of all football and hurling fans.

According to McBennett the limited number of fixture slots available at weekends is a barrier to more televised games, as he advocates for Friday night games to increase the offering.

McBennett appeared on Morning Ireland to elaborate on his post on social media on Tuesday, where he addressed criticism of a lack of live coverage of games deemed significant by many fans.

"Post Congress it's time for mature debate on what is wanted/needed with regard to GAA coverage. Priority to Attendance or tv ? How many games given there are more than ever - what level of games & what level of coverage. Simply shouting for the game "I want to see" isn’t enough" McBennett's post read.

Taking to the RTÉ studios, the Monaghan man sought to clarify that current state of play regarding coverage of our national games.

"What you saw at the weekend was a convergence of a couple of things," he said.

"Congress put the calendar debate – if there ever was a debate – to bed, and I don't think there ever should have been a debate over the split season.

"I think the split season and a condensed season have always been mixed up and mashed through each other, but the calendar discussion is dead."

With most of the 32 counties fielding both football and hurling teams, McBennett called for a reality check on demands for blanket live coverage, adding: "I think there needs to be a clear understanding going forward among all stakeholders as to what is possible, what is feasible, what are the factors that are at play, and what's not possible, so that people have a clear understanding as to just how much GAA coverage is available, because the truth is, there is more than ever."

With regard to how the GAA curates its media rights and the objectives of those at HQ, he said: "I think Tom Ryan has been very clear about this on an annual basis. There are four pillars on which the GAA media strategy is based.

"Number one is the commercial value of their rights, which is money. Number two is eyeballs on their games. Number three is the balance between attendance and coverage and number four is the affinity and affection for the Irish language.

"I think when you look at the season and when you look at the number of high-profile games, there are going to be clashes and there are going to be games that aren't going to be covered, but the majority of games are going to be covered.

"When I took over the job in RTÉ, RTÉ did 40 games per year. Now we do almost double that. TG4 last year did 180, GAA+ do 40, their predecessor Sky Sports did 14, BBC Northern Ireland do games. There are more games than ever.

"I think there has to be an understanding that there are more games than ever, but there has to be a balance as to how many games can be done, otherwise you dilute the games that are at play."

Matches over the weekend normally take place during a narrow window, which places onerous logistical and scheduling demands on broadcasters.

McBennett argued that a Friday slot, which has met with resistance from certain quarters, would allow for even more comprehensive coverage.

"The Friday night option is an option that broadcasters have always claimed for and there are many who are in favour of it," he opined.

"The GPA are obviously against it, for their own reasons. But as we've said before, why Meath and Dublin couldn't play on a Friday night or why Armagh and Down couldn't play in the Marshes or the Athletic Grounds on a Friday night, and claim that space, is another part of the debate that needs to be had."

What is your view on the number of GAA games available to watch at home? Send us your thoughts via email, sportonline@rte.ie.

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