TV license sales fell by €2.7 million, according to new figures for the entire month of July, reports Irish Times
New figures show TV licensing revenues are falling after a controversy over misreported payments to RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy.
In response to an inquiry from The Irish Times, the Department for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said TV subscription sales in the fourth week of July totalled 10,661, including 1,173 first-time and 9,488 renewals.
“The comparable figure for the same period in 2022 was 14,151 – 1,796 first-time licences and 12,355 renewals,” reports The Irish Times.
This is a decrease of 3,490. In total, this means a loss of income of €2,767,520 per year.
“As recommended by the Future of Media Commission, Government provided interim funding to RTÉ last year, and the Government will be considering this again as part of the budget and estimates discussions,” a spokesman for the department said, reports Irish Times.
RTÉ will bear the lion’s share of the revenue reduction. The television license receipts are received and distributed by the department on a monthly basis.
About 7 per cent of the net revenue from the TV license goes to a broadcasting fund managed by the Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission) and is paid based on the number of postal licenses sold.
The department previously said that based on 2022 total receipts, the percentage of total receipts paid to RTÉ from television licenses was around 89 per cent.
Mr Tubridy said his reputation was “desperately sullied” by the controversy, while vehemently denying that he ever knew RTÉ was hiding payments to him.
Talks between Mr Tubridy and RTÉ chief executive Kevin Buckhurst are due to resume this month and a decision on Mr Tubridy’s future has yet to be made, reports Irish Times.
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