Professor Pauric Travers:

I thank the Chairman and members for the invitation to meet them today as part of the committee's series of meetings with regulators. In these days of Wimbledon, our presentation will be a double-hander. As chairman, I will give a brief retrospective on the recent work of the authority and Mr. O'Keeffe, our CEO, will outline some of the strategic priorities for the period ahead.

As the committee knows, the BAI regulates Irish broadcasting. Our key functions include licensing, drawing up codes and rules in accordance with legislation, performance reviews, the provision of funding, monitoring and enforcing compliance, considering complaints from viewers and listeners, supporting development and fostering understanding of the media. Last year, 2016, marked the final year of our three-year strategy and the preparation of a new strategy for the period 2017 to 2019. Our annual report for 2016 is going to print. We signed off on our accounts at the end of June and will forward that information to the committee in due course.

As part of the transition in 2016, we undertook an extensive review of the outcomes of our previous strategic plan, including market research on public and industry perceptions of the BAI. This showed that the BAI is seen as a trusted and effective regulator. It also identified a twin challenge, namely maintaining that trust while maintaining relevance in a rapidly changing media landscape. In meeting those challenges and delivering our new strategy, we are committed to collaborating closely with broadcasters, the Department, other stakeholders and members of the joint committee. Effective policy and practice requires research that is well focused. Among several research projects supported by the BAI is Ireland's inclusion in the Reuters Institute for the study of journalism digital survey, which is a comparative longitudinal study. The latest report, which was recently launched, confirms a rapid shift to mobile devices, customer resistance to paying for news and high levels of dissatisfaction with news sources internationally. However, a welcome finding in respect of Ireland is that trust in news remains strong compared to other countries, especially trust in traditional media. A major challenge in the rapidly changing environment is sustainability, in terms of business models and quality journalism. There are some positive signs that concern about fake news is contributing to a demand for quality journalism. The message seems to be that investment in quality can pay dividends.

The major challenge for Irish broadcasters at local, community and national level is to continue to produce quality content that is culturally relevant. The BAI has sought to support broadcasters in responding to this challenge through a variety of initiatives. These include: the sound and vision scheme under which €27 million has been allocated to 286 projects over a two-year cycle; the commemoration of the 1916 Rising through support for radio and TV programming at local and national levels; the cultivation of an archiving culture with €5 million invested to support archiving schemes; and collaboration with the Canadian media fund to promote joint Irish-Canadian projects. This is a timely initiative, given the visit by the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Justin Trudeau. It offers a potential model for other international collaborations.

The Broadcasting Act 2009 imposes specific obligations on the BAI in the context of media literacy. In December, we launched an ambitious media literacy policy aimed at empowering audiences to make informed choices about the media they consume. We hope this will equip viewers, listeners and citizens with the capacity to access, critically evaluate and, if necessary, challenge media, in ways which are indispensable for the well-being of the individual and society. Our work in this area will not seek to reinvent the wheel. We recognise and affirm the work done by other agencies and we will seek to add value by creating and supporting a media literacy network.

I will now had over to my colleague, Mr. O'Keeffe, who will speak about the strategic plan of the authority for 2017-2019.