Sale of TV licences recovers a year after Ryan Tubridy payments scandal

According to the weekly figures published by the Government, there were 13,484 licences sold in the first week of July, compared with 11,241 in the first week of July 2023.

There were 10, 362 sold in the second week of July, up from 8,922 last year. Overall this means 23,846 TV licences have been bought so far this month, compared with 20,163 last year.

The Tubridy controversy reached a peak at the end of June and beginning of July in 2023, with Dee Forbes resigning as director general of RTÉ on June 26, and the revelation that €5,000 had been spent on 200 pairs of flip flops coming on July 4.

The purchase of TV licences went into steep decline almost immediately, amid a wave of public anger, and the second week of July 2023 recorded the lowest sale.

The Government figures come with a ‘health warning’ that An Post records direct-debit purchases on a monthly basis, so these are not included in the weekly sales totals published on gov.ie.

The total number of direct debits in June of this year was 13,361, compared with 14,703 in June 2023. Even before the RTÉ pay scandal, there was a slight but steady decline in the number of TV licences being sold, with more and more households declaring that they did not own a TV set.

Some householders may have been adopting a wait-and-see approach to buying a TV licence, until the Government decides on the future funding model for broadcasting. Taoiseach Simon Harris has promised a decision this month.

Media Minister Catherine Martin has been arguing that RTÉ and other public-service broadcasting should be funded directly from the exchequer, which would mean the abolition of the licence fee.

However, this has faced strong pushback from Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe in particular. He is now being supported by Finance Minister Jack Chambers in arguing that abolishing the TV licence at a time when over 800,000 householders are still paying the €160-a-year charge does not make financial sense from a government point of view.

The Future of Media Commission has recommended the abolition of the TV licence fee, however, as has the Oireachtas Media Committee.

Ms Martin was recently given a report by a technical working group in her department, but it is believed to have set out options rather than making a strong recommendation either way.

RTÉ director-general Kevin Bakhurst said: “RTÉ is thankful to all those who have continued to pay their TV licence which funds our public service programming and content across television, radio and online, as well as the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. We remain committed to the ongoing and necessary transformation of RTÉ, to restoring trust, and to delivering important and engaging content to audiences throughout the country.

“I am proud of the excellent and important investigations we have produced recently, along with great drama, unrivalled coverage and analysis of local, European and UK elections and a feast of live sport. If the figures we announced yesterday for the Euros are anything to go by, particularly when combined with the GAA championship, our audience recognises RTÉ’s ongoing commitment to free-to-air live sport which remains a huge attraction.”