A briefing note considered by the government shows that RTÉ will lose €21 million in license fee revenue this year, reports RTE.
Media Minister Catherine Martin is due to update ministers on the national broadcaster’s deteriorating financial situation and what further interim measures may be needed.
Last year, RTÉ received €15 million in interim funding as recommended by the Future of Media Commission.
Director General Kevin Bakhurst previously confirmed that an application for further interim funding of €34.5 million had been submitted in May.
That was before a payment dispute erupted in June, causing a sharp drop in royalty income.
This afternoon, RTÉ confirmed it had written to Minister Martin again last week asking for temporary funding, reports RTE.
The broadcaster also pointed to a significant rise in inflation levels since the publication of the Media Commission’s Future Report last year.
In a statement today, RTÉ stressed that it was “focused on delivering a range of important changes to the operation and culture of the organisation as part of the essential work to restore trust in RTÉ,” reports RTE.
However, Mr Martin could not say how much money the government is willing to allocate to the broadcaster for a significant reduction in the number of people paying TV license fees.
RTÉ management will attend a meeting of the Oireachtas media committee next week to answer questions about ongoing difficulties at the station.
Last month, a report by Grant Thornton found that a plausible explanation for understating Mr Tubridy’s earnings by €120,000 in 2017, 2018 and 2019 was RTÉ’s intention to keep the star’s declared annual income below €500,000.
RTÉ Chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh said the report highlighted “poor internal communication and weak processes”, reports RTE.
Two days after Grant Thornton’s report was published, Mr Bakhurst revealed that Ryan Tubridy would not be returning to his current role at RTE.
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