THERE are two sides to every argument – and the past weekend’s debates over the refusal by RTÉ and the GAA to allow a major Munster clash be televised, saw many strong opinions on both sides.
While it was a huge disappointment to many that those without a ticket could only catch the match on a pay-as-you-go option, there were also those who felt the time of free-to-air GAA has long since passed. Looking to the success that Sky has made of televised sport, there is a very real feeling that the GAA can no longer watch an obvious cash cow pass it by.
But the fact that many would-be viewers still do not have reliable broadband connections to their homes has to be taken into account. It is one thing to offer an option to fans between live attendance and viewing at home, albeit for a fee. But it’s something else entirely if that second option is not, in fact, an option at all.
