BBC Northern Ireland has apologised to GAA fans after the broadcast of an Ulster football championship clash was delayed for two-and-a-half hours in favour of Wimbledon.
Fans were left fuming when the game between Tyrone and Cavan, which took place on Saturday afternoon at Omagh's Healy Park, was not screened on BBC Two until 10.30pm.
A deferred broadcast of the full match was scheduled for 8pm, having been shown live on Sky Sports earlier in the day.
However, as fans tuned in to BBC Two they were instead greeted with the early stages of the men's doubles final at Wimbledon.
Sinn Féin West Tyrone MLA Maolíosa McHugh tweeted that he "didn’t get to watch the outcome of the Tyrone & Cavan match until after 12".
"BBCNI need to reconsider their programming & the lack of priority afforded to Gaelic games. Gaels in north should be able to watch the Ulster Championship live. We pay license fee too."
Other fans expressed their annoyance in response to a BBC Sport NI tweet advertising the deferred coverage, with some asking why the GAA could not be shown as scheduled and the tennis available as an option via the red button or website.
A BBC spokeswoman told The Irish News: "Live BBC television coverage of concluding fixtures at Wimbledon went on for longer than expected, meaning that our recorded coverage of the Tyrone vs Cavan match was delayed until 10.30pm. The match had been covered in full earlier in the day live on BBC Sounds, DAB and on the Sport NI website.
"We understand the frustration caused by last-minute schedule changes and tried to keep viewers updated on what was happening. We apologise for the inconvenience caused."
