Although the Sunday Independent launched a stinging editorial on the EU’s recognition of the Irish language yesterday, their correspondent Jerome Reilly reports on an unexpected hit scored by TG4 over its coverage of Wimbledon this season ‘as Gaeilge’.The success it seems comes from addressing the sporting needs of an Irish audience first:
Figures show they have abandoned the BBC in favour of TG4 which took a gamble in securing the rights for Wimbledon for the next three years. Ratings figures out next week are expected to show that the All-Irish coverage has attracted a legion of new viewers. Last week while the BBC brought viewers every shot of Tim Henman’s early exit from the championship, viewers of TG4 enjoyed a great match from another court, featuring Gilles Muller and French Open Champion Rafael Nadal – with Muller knocking the fourth seed out.
Next week they have the Irish rights to coverage of the Tour de France!
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
