Varadkar encourages public to still pay licence fee

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has encouraged the public to still pay the licence fee as data from the Department of Media show that there has been a 37% decrease in people paying the fee compared to this time last year. 

The Department of Media confirmed TV licence sales for the first week in August were 9,361, which starkly contrasts 15,030 sales in the same period last year.

In purely financial terms, RTÉ has lost out on €907,040 in revenue so far this month.

The broadcaster has been under pressure to restore public confidence following a €2.7m drop-off in licence fee sales in July alone.

Varadkar said “I would certainly encourage people to continue to pay their licence fee,” when presented with the figures.

“Notwithstanding the recent controversy, the licence fee pays for our news, pays for arts broadcasting, sports, children’s, Irish-language broadcasting – things that are of real value and I would encourage people to continue to pay their licence fee.”

Varadkar stated the national broadcaster has had a long-standing request for additional funding before the controversy but has not yet sought additional funding on top of that.

Any additional funding for RTÉ would have to be worked out later in the year and be subject to conditions.

“Ultimately, if we’re put in the position where we have to provide more funding to RTÉ from taxpayers, I think taxpayers would expect conditionality to be attached to that.

“And, you know, we’ve had periods before where Government had to provide additional finance to the banks, had to provide additional finance to sporting bodies that got into financial trouble, had to provide additional finance time to An Post, for example.

“On all occasions, there were terms and conditions and expectations attached to that.”

Figures provided by the Department of Media show that 17,297 fewer TV licences were bought in July compared to the same time period in 2022.

The payment scandal at RTÉ has eroded public trust in RTÉ according to new director general Kevin Bakhurst, and said he is committed to instilling a culture of reform and transparency in his new position.

RTÉ has been bullish in recent weeks that people are still consuming content by the state broadcaster, pointing to strong TV and online viewership of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

An audit of RTÉ’s finances carried out by Grant Thornton kickstarted one of the most dramatic chapters in RTÉ’s history, with director general Dee Forbes resigning and former star presenter Ryan Tubridy and his agent appearing before an Oireachtas committee to explain their part in the scandal