Taoiseach urges RTE to get its act together

It is RTE’s responsibility to “get its act together”, the Taoiseach said.

In its annual report published on Monday, RTE posted a net deficit of €9.1 million in 2023, in what was described as “a difficult year” for the organisation.

Earlier this year, the Government approved a new funding package that will secure RTE’s funding levels through a system of direct Treasury top-ups on licence fee sales.

In its annual report, RTE said a fall in TV licence revenue, as well as an increase in operating costs and special programmes, contributed to the deficit.

The national broadcaster reiterated its criticism of the TV licensing mechanism, saying it “increasingly reflects less the way people consume public service content”.

She highlighted the implementation of device-independent media fees in other countries.

Asked about his comments on Monday, Simon Harris told reporters at the National Ploughing Championships: “It’s RTE’s job to run public service broadcasting, to do it responsibly, to get our act together, quite frankly.”

The new deal means that, after taking into account expected revenue from licence fees, the government will pay the organisation an estimated €42m directly next year.

The overall funding, lower than that requested by the broadcaster, follows the government’s review of RTE’s five-year reform strategy.

The move follows a year of crisis management at a cash-strapped network due to a series of governance and financial scandals that have further fuelled a years-long downward trend in TV licence revenues.

An Post, which is responsible for collecting the unchanged annual fee of €160 for households with televisions, will also receive an extra €6 million to improve its processes.

Mr Harris added: “In terms of their financial situation, we have helped them greatly. And when I say we, I mean the taxpayers of this country, we have helped them because we value public service broadcasting.”

“But it is the elected government of Ireland that will make the decisions about how we fund services, not RTE.

“She is perfectly entitled to make her point. We have decided – and I fully support our position – that this is a better-received licence fee, with no increase in costs and better levels of funding from the Treasury, and also a recognition that RTE does an excellent public service broadcasting, but so do others.

“And having a media fund now, which I would like to see grow in the budget, and which I would like to see grow in the years to come, that supports other media, and that also supports local and regional media.”

Mr Harris said RTE “can comment on whatever they want”, adding “but I’m more concerned about the annual financial report and making sure they deliver on the reform programme that they’ve signed up to”.