TV licence sales are set to slump to a record low in 2025, continuing the pattern of declining sales over the past four years.
To the end of November, a total of 711,664 households in Ireland had purchased TV licences compared with 731,592 at the same time in 2024, a difference of almost 20,000.
In 2023, 759,920 licences had been sold as of November 30th, itself a fall of more than 120,000 on the number sold in 2022.
The significant fall in 2023 was attributed to public anger at the broadcaster after it disclosed it had made secret payments to former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy. The ensuing crisis left RTÉ in a severe funding crisis.
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The chair of the all-party Oireachtas committee on Media and the Arts, Alan Kelly, said this week if the decline was not arrested it would lead to another “gaping hole” in the broadcaster’s funding model.
Following a review of RTÉ funding in 2024, the Government decided the TV licence system would be retained. The broadcaster and others had argued for what amounted to a direct charge, which could be collected by the Revenue Commissioners. The current system requires a licence only for those who have a TV set. Households in the State who watch RTÉ programmes on any other device are not required to have a licence.
Then minister for media Catherine Martin, and her predecessor Patrick O’Donovan, said they would introduce measures designed to improve collection and compliance in order to maximise revenue generation.
An interdepartmental technical working group (TWG) has been working on solutions to improve compliance by householders and to lower evasion rates. It was due to report to Mr O’Donovan at the end of November. A spokeswoman said it is expected to be submitted to the Minister in the coming weeks.
The TWG is also looking at the methodology that has been used to measure evasion rates. For that reason, no figures for evasion are available for 2024. The evasion rate for 2023 was 16.9 per cent resulting in a revenue loss of an estimated €40 million to RTÉ.
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Mr Kelly, a Labour TD for Tipperary North, said he looked forward to the report and said his committee would examine this issue among others when RTÉ next comes before it.
“The licence fee collection is only going in one direction.
“As a committee we will look to see where that is going. That has to be arrested from a taxpayers’ point of view.
“There has been huge investment into RTÉ by the State and if licence fee rates are falling and this doesn’t change, we will have a gaping hole there,” he said.
An RTÉ spokesman said it remained grateful to all those who continue to pay their TV licence.
“Full details regarding TV licence sales for 2025 will be available after 31st December. Questions regarding TV licence sales should be directed to the department and to An Post,” he said.
An Post administers the TV licence systems on behalf of RTÉ.
