Poll: Should revenues from the TV licence be shared with other broadcasters?

LAST WEEK THE communications minister Denis Naughten ruled out the introduction of an alternative to the existing TV licence that would account for online streaming.

Naughten said Ireland wouldn’t follow in the footsteps of the UK by introducing a catch-all license to include viewers who stream programmes instead of watching scheduled television.

The previous government had committed to the introduction of a public service broadcasting charge to replace the current system, but Naughten’s comments heavily hint that those plans have been shelved.

Evasion of the annual €160 TV licence fee is high in Ireland and is roughly three-times the rate of that in the UK or Germany, with the Irish government claiming up to €40 million in licence fees goes uncollected every year.

Minister Naughten said he has a plan to tackle the high rates of evasion, but he is yet to spell out a strategy to improve the system.

At present, the bulk of the TV licence fee goes to RTÉ, while 7% of the total revenue is paid to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for the Broadcasting Funding Scheme, which is shared out among independent producers and broadcasters. TG4 also receives a fixed annual fee of €9.25 million.

Earlier this month, Screen Producers Ireland, which represents producers and production companies on the island, called for a ‘household media charge’ that could be used to boost the Irish television industry as funding has decreased in recent years.

John Griffin, the millionaire behind Irish TV, told Fora earlier this year that he felt his channel was entitled to some of the fee being paid.

With that in mind, we’re asking Fora readers: Should revenues from the TV licence be shared with other broadcasters?