The number of TV licenses issued in the first week of July dropped significantly compared to the same period last year when 11,241 licenses were issued compared to 15,432 in 2022.
Television license numbers dropped as RTÉ became embroiled in a controversy over publishing incorrect earnings figures for presenter Ryan Tubridy.
The licensing statistics were revealed by Media Minister Catherine Martin in response to a parliamentary question posed by Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin.
RTÉ CEO Kevin Bakhurst said he was extremely grateful to those who continued to buy a TV license when events cast such a dark shadow on RTÉ. He added that they have the right to be disappointed.
In total, in the first week of June and July, 5,837 less TV subscriptions were issued than in the same period in 2022.
This equates to an income of €933,920 and the government has been urged to formulate a contingency plan to deal with this loss, reports RTE.
The decrease in the number of licenses was most pronounced in the first week of this month, when 4,191 fewer licenses were issued than in the same period last year. This is a decrease of 27%.
Mr Griffin, who sits on the Oireachtas Media Committee, believes that much of the population has lost faith in RTÉ.
Mr Buckhurst said the new leadership team is working hard to rebuild trust in the organization and will continue to do so.
He also thanked the hard-working staff who, he said, nevertheless continued to focus on creating great shows and content for viewers on TV, radio and online.
Ms Martin said her officials would continue to monitor the impact on the number of licenses issued and TV licensing receipts, reports RTE.
The total number of licenses issued in June this year amounted to 73,421, while in 2022 there were 75,067.
In the first week of July 11,241 permits were issued against 15,432 the year before.
Speaking to RTÉ’s News at One, Labour media spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock said: “It’s not surprising but we need to be careful that we don’t over-interpret from one week in the year,” reports RTE.
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