For over a decade, no decision was made about future financing approaches for public service media. Back in 2011, the Fine Gael-Labour government pledged to transform the system of TV licence fees occasioned by the technological advancements affecting the broadcasting industry. A new concept was promised, a public broadcasting charge applicable to all businesses and homes, which never came into reality, illustrating a noteworthy political delay. It’s arguable if Minister for Media, Catherine Martin’s Wednesday announcement would have been made, if RTÉ hadn’t been plagued by a succession of controversies.
Against the backdrop of the Future of Media Commission’s recommendation two years prior, advocating for direct funding from the Exchequer, a recommendation Minister Martin supported, the Government chose to stick to the erratic system that evolved over recent years due to RTÉ’s ongoing financial difficulties. This means that the formerly deemed outdated TV licence will continue to exist in the near future while the predictable yearly deficit will be supplemented by the Exchequer up to a total of around ¤725 million over the next three years. This decision, according to Minister Martin, should suffice to fund RTÉ’s new wheeling. Nonetheless, it is still ¤55 million short of what the broadcasting corporation anticipates needing.
Taoiseach Simon Harris calls this fresh multi-year commitment an unprecedented assurance of fiscal certainty to a state-backed body, however, glossing over two facts. Firstly, there’s nothing preventing a succeeding government from retracting this commitment. Secondly, the reasoning behind long-term funding does not simply lie in providing financial stability, but also in safeguarding public service media from excessive influence from the reigning government. No clear explanation has been given regarding how this central principle will be preserved in the long run. It still remains unclear how the annual allocation handled by Martin’s Department of Culture and Media will impact other cultural establishments. In case the licence fee revenue continues to decrease, the effect on the likes of the Arts Council and Screen Ireland remains uncertain.
According to Darragh Ó Sé, although Galway’s victory margin against Armagh might be slender, they are bound to triumph. Questions about the practicality of AI are increasingly arising following a global outage. To handle Ireland’s surging evasion rates, Martin has committed to introducing fresh measures, allocating €6 million to An Post to bolster collection capabilities. Still, compliant license payers are likely to keep bearing the costs for the notable minority who refuse to pay. An all-encompassing fee could have enabled a price cut for adherent contributors, similar to how direct funding could have more fairly distributed costs. Each alternative had its shortcomings, sadly, it’s disappointing that the government chose this inadequate compromise.