Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 September 2023
86. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media further to the report of the Commission on the Future of Media, which identified the funding contributed by TV licence payers to public service media as being €143.8 million in 2020, if she will provide the equivalent figure in 2022 and the projected figure for 2023. [41875/23]
View answerThe Future of Media Commission report provides an analysis of the various sources of public funding for public service media, including funding from direct sales of TV Licences, TV Licence funding provided by the Department of Social Protection under the Household Benefits Package and direct Exchequer funding of TG4.
The figure of €143.8m, quoted in Chapter 5 of the Report refers to the net revenues from direct TV Licences sales, excluding commission paid to An Post as the statutory issuing Agent. The corresponding public service media contribution from direct TV Licence Sales for 2022 was €141.76m. It is not possible to accurately estimate the TV Licence sales from September to December 2023, so an annual figure for 2023 is not available. From January-August 2023, public service media funding from direct TV Licence sales was €82.98m.
The net revenue from direct TV Licence sales is distributed to RTÉ and Coimisiún na Mean in accordance with the provisions set down in Section 123 and Section 156 of the Broadcasting Act.
