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Minister Naughten announces Government approval of 2015 RTÉ Annual Report
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Denis Naughten T.D., today laid the RTÉ Annual Report and Group Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2015 before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
RTÉ has reported a net deficit after tax of €2.8 million, following a small net surplus in 2014 (€0.2m). The Minister noted that RTÉ’s performance should be viewed in the context of ongoing reductions in public funding in recent years and the competitive commercial market in which it operates. The Minister highlighted that investment in its digital services will be critical if RTÉ is to maintain its relevance and compete with larger multinational media organisations.
Minister Naughten acknowledged that high levels of TV licence evasion and the challenges facing the existing TV licence system need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The Minister stated: ‘I will bring proposals to Government later this year that will address the sustainable funding of public service broadcasting to ensure the public continues to have access to Irish produced content.”
Minister Naughten thanked the outgoing Director General, Noel Curran, for his leadership and looks forward to meeting the new Director General, Dee Forbes in the coming weeks.
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