Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) is Ireland’s public service broadcaster. It was founded in 1926. The company operates three television stations: RTÉ One, which offers generalist programming for the population, RTÉ2, which focuses on programming for youth, and RTÉjr, which specializes in children’s programming. Additionally, RTÉ operates five radio channels.
Media assets
Television: RTÉ One, RTÉ2, RTÉ News Now, RTÉjr, RTÉ One +1, RTÉ2+1
Radio: RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2FM, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ Lyric FM, RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ Chill, RTÉ Gold, RTÉ Junior, RTÉ Pulse, RTÉ Radio 1 Extra
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
The RTÉ Board, a statutory corporation, consists of 12 members who are mainly appointed by the Government upon nomination by various bodies, most of which are state authorities. The RTÉ Board appoints the director general after approval by the government and the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport, and the Gaeltacht.
Source of funding and budget
RTÉ has been funded through a combination of revenues from license fees (a levy imposed on all households in the country specifically used to finance public media) and commercial revenue (mainly advertising income). According to the law, any household with a television set must pay a license fee (collected by the Irish Post), which is €160 a year. However, this funding model will change in the coming years.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media collects license fee revenue and distributes it, without political intervention, to RTÉ (85% of the total revenue) and other institutions financed from this resource.
According to a corporate annual report, in 2020, the broadcaster operated with a yearly budget of €331.1m. License fees contributed over 59% of the total revenue. In 2021, RTÉ had a budget of €344m, with 57% coming from license fee revenue and the remainder from commercial activities. The following year, the corporation had a budget of €347.7m.
In January 2023, Catherine Martin, Ireland’s Minister for Media, announced that the Irish government plans to reform RTÉ’s funding model. This move is in response to the high rate of license fee evasion, currently at 15%, which is higher than the European standard and costs the company approximately €65m annually. The proposed reform aims to create an alternative funding model for the Irish public broadcaster that would not rely on ownership of a television set. The Irish authorities have already dismissed the idea of funding the broadcaster through general taxation.
In August 2024, the government in Dublin announced that a mixed model to finance RTÉ will be implemented starting in 2025. As part of this model, the broadcaster is set to receive a total of €725m over the next three years. The license fee of €160 will remain in place during the period, with the remaining funds being provided by the government as follows: €225m in 2025, €240m in 2026, and €260m in 2027. According to the government, the license fee generated approximately €123m in 2023. Of this amount, 93% went to RTÉ, and the remainder went to a national broadcasting fund.
The new model has been criticized due to concerns about creating dependencies on government funding. For instance, the National Union of Journalists expressed disappointment with it.
The changes in the funding model resulted in RTÉ’s reclassification from the ISM (Independent State-Managed/Owner) category to the ISFM (Independent State-Financed and State-Managed/Owned) category in our State Media Matrix.
Editorial independence
No government-imposed rules or regulations affect RTÉ’s editorial coverage, and there is no evidence of government editorial control at RTÉ.
The Broadcasting Act of 2009 includes provisions that ensure the broadcaster’s editorial independence. Since 2015, RTÉ has been obligated to prepare a public service statement outlining its principles and activities to fulfill its mission. This document further serves to bolster the station’s editorial independence.
In 2020, RTÉ updated its Journalism Guidelines to clarify its editorial values guiding coverage and further protect its editorial independence.
According to the Broadcasting Act, the RTÉ Audience Council advises the station’s board on matters concerning RTÉ’s public service responsibilities and the requirements of its audience. The council is comprised of 15 voluntary members appointed by the RTÉ Board.
August 2024