An Post’s newest data suggests that, in the aftermath of the RTÉ fee scandal over a year ago, television licence sales continue to struggle. An Post performs the duty of marshalling these funds for the national broadcaster.
As compared to the numbers from 2022, the licence quantity that An Post had managed to sell until July 2024’s conclusion has reduced by around 14%, and it falls short of the 2023 figures by nearly 11%. These calculations consider the monthly statistics for July 2023, which demonstrated an abrupt reduction in sales by 20,000, in the aftermath of revelations about concealed payments made to RTÉ’s leading broadcaster Ryan Tubridy.
Figures spanning the first seven months reveal a total sale of 449,456 licences, a cutback when juxtaposed with 522,198 and 499,186 from the congruent periods in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Consequently, till now, there has been a decrease of 72,742 TV licences sold in this year versus 2022, resulting in an approximate deficit of €11.6 million in 2024’s revenue, paralleling the scenario two years ago. Moreover, the current figures trail behind 2023’s by nearly €10 million.
Adding to this fiscal loss is the evasion rate, gauged at 14% of households in 2022. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media asserts that the evasion rate climbed up to roughly 17% in the subsequent year, 2023, likely due to many households refusing to pay the licence because of the payment scandal exposure.
Acknowledging this ongoing decline, the authorities decided in July to keep the present TV licence in place, but they also pledged to enhance compliance concerning the licences. Currently, a new technical body is looking into refining the licence collection methods and the Government has assured that more resources will be provided to An Post to increase their collection rate.
The spokesperson relayed that the aim is to enhance compliance and elude evasion, promote sales and heighten revenues, thereby ensuring satisfactory public funds allocation towards public service media. Catherine Martin, the Minister for Media, announced the previous month about an augmentation in public funding provided from the Exchequer to the RTÉ. This has brought the total state contribution to €225 million for the year 2025, which is projected to rise to €240 million in the 2025 and subsequently, €260 million in 2027.
Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Public Expenditure, expressed his conviction earlier this week regarding an expected improvement in the compliance of households in obtaining television licenses. He stated that he observed promising signals in the recent statistics released by An Post, referring to compliance. Donohoe strongly believes that as faith in RTÉ is gradually re-established, the compliance will not just return to previous levels, but it will eventually exceed those benchmarks.