Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Kiely, Mr. Malone and Ms Áine Ní Chaoindealbháin here today, and Mr. McCaffrey as well.

On the question of advertising a number of issues arise. Sky is doing a lot of Irish advertising. Will the witnesses elaborate to the committee on the effect of Sky being able to use Irish advertising in the context of non-Irish channels, some of which, as far as I can see, have nothing to do with Ireland, although they are very enjoyable. In saying that I am not casting aspersions. That capacity must have some significant effect on the available revenue pool from Ireland. Could the witnesses say something about what the competitive rates for advertising, as between, say, themselves and Sky and themselves and RTE and TG4, would be because it seems if is to be the alternate source to public funding we should be conscious that there is a leak in the bucket going to broadcasters with no public service obligations of any kind and no licence obligations of any significance in Ireland.

Mention was made in Mr. Kiely's presentation of the possibility of RTE getting more. The Chairman was unavoidably absent, but I understood that when the Minister addressed us on the last occasion he made it clear that as far as he was concerned, there would be no increase in the licence fee for RTE.

Listening, as one must do, to RTE radio a lot, I am struck by the advertising slots, almost 50% of which seem to be State, semi-State or governmental agencies advertising. Whether it is the Road Safety Authority, the vaccination programmes and so on, the amount of State or quasi-State advertising is significant on RTE radio. Does TV3 believe it is getting its fair share of Government advertising or semi-State advertising? Is there a special rate for Government advertising? Is there some commercial underpinning to where a vaccination programme advertises, whether it goes to TV3 or somebody else?