The headlines ran that Saturday’s AIB Ladies Football Club Championship Finals would not be televised because TG4 was contracted to show the Junior Eurovision contest.

Shock, outrage, another slight on Women’s sport. What could TG4 be thinking?

The danger with headlines is that they create an impression, bolster an idea and get people excited or excitable.

But they do not tell the whole story.

Back in the day, when traditional media ruled the roost as the only source of news and entertainment, it might have been the case that Saturday’s finals would be dark.

But those days are gone.

Yes, TG4 does have a contractual obligation to show the song contest, and discussions with the LGFA prioritised the players and the fans who will attend the games, so they could not be moved.

But TG4 is the longest standing sponsor and supporter on Women’s sport and Ladies Football in particular so they will be there, they will be showing the game live and in full on the TG4 Player, they will be broadcasting to the entire world on their YouTube Channel, and they will be showing a deferred full playback of the game in primetime on Saturday night.

Last year’s All-Ireland Football Final generated 378,000 streams on the RTÉ Player.

Last Weekend’s Toy Show generated 642,000.

It is how most people under 30 consume media these days.

That is uncomfortable for headline writers who prefer to cling to past ideas of how the world turns. But it does not mean that Saturday’s games will not be televised, just that they will be shown and watched in a way more in tune with the 21st century than with other media.

There endeth the rant.

 

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