Mr. Paul Farrell:

Regarding the ecosystem of which I spoke, if we look only at broadcasting on television, we will miss the opportunity and the risk in respect of public service broadcasting. On the specific question of funding, the key point for me, and I think Mr. Esslemont also referred to this, is that there needs to be transparency and accountability concerning what that funding is used for. That is missing now. The Future of Media Commission has obviously taken on the task of redefining what public service broadcasting is, but if we look at RTÉ's annual accounts, as we do, it is hard to figure out where the public money went and where the commercial money went. That distorts the market. For this reason, a clear line is needed, first and foremost, regarding what the €200 million from the licence fee is used for, if it is used for the right things and if it distorts the market for all other media. I say that because we all compete for the same advertisers, and much of that advertising money is moving to the companies mentioned by Senator Cassells, such as Google and Facebook.

There needs to be a clear understanding in respect of the money which is for public service broadcasting, what public service broadcasting is and how we can get the best value for that. I do not think we get any of that information under the present monolithic model, which Mr. Esslemont mentioned, that distorts the market. Production companies and talent, such as writers and producers and all the people in Screen Ireland who facilitate this ecosystem, are beholden to the decisions made by RTÉ regarding how it uses that money. That is wrong and it is the fundamental flaw we need to address in the short term.

Outside of that aspect, to touch on the point made by the Senator regarding collaboration, we have seen, particularly during this period of Covid-19, the demand for local quality media and trusted content. The challenge we all have, and this is where I would go on the distribution side, is to make it easier for people to find it. I say that because people are not now automatically going to the electronic programme guide, EPG, on the television to see what is on at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. People expect to find that information on their terms, whether that is on an app, a player, YouTube or elsewhere. The challenge for us, especially as quality local media, is to find ways to come together and present that good quality content, which is well funded commercially, to the national audience. The current monolithic model makes it impossible for local and other media to survive.