Tom Dempsey says it’s a scandal that Wexford-Kilkenny match couldn’t be watched

There was a huge game in Wexford Park yesterday between Wexford and neighbours Kilkenny…

Wexford needed a result against Kilkenny to avoid relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup.

It was a highly-entertaining game in Wexford Park, it was tit-for-tat for most of the game with some magical scores from both sides.

Although over 9700 people attended the game in Wexford Park, it was not available to watch on any platform for other viewers who couldn’t make it to the match.

Speaking on KCLR following Wexford’s win over Kilkenny, former Wexford hurler Tom Dempsey labelled it as a “scandal” that supporters couldn’t watch the game at home.

“I was afraid to say it. But there are people up in RTE and they’re going around saying ‘they’re going to promote this’. A man came in a couple of years ago saying he ‘was going to do everything for the GAA’. It was an absolute scandal that this hurling game wasn’t on free to air. They wouldn’t even let us pay for it. Wexford and Kilkenny rarely fail to deliver. Someone needs to be held accountable,” Dempsey said.

“The game of hurling today. Passion. Incredible,” he said.

While the game was not broadcasted on RTÉ or on GAAGO, there were still RTÉ cameras present at Wexford Park to capture the game. Highlights of the match were placed on The Sunday game and RTÉ pundits were able to watch a live stream of the Leinster Championship match from their studio set up in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. It was clear that a live-streaming was available for some, so it really does beg the question why this game could not be placed on GAAGO, a platform which is equally owned by both RTÉ and the GAA.

If RTÉ cameras were at the Wexford vs Kilkenny match for The Sunday Game highlights, why couldn't it be placed on GAAGo given the 50/50 share between RTÉ and the GAA?

Is there a significant cost factor to live streaming? Or is it something else that we're missing?— Wexford Weekly (@Wexford_Weekly) May 28, 2023

Read more of the talking points from the Wexford and Kilkenny game here.

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