Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 20 May 2021

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht

General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Alan Esslemont:

It is very difficult. All of the other broadcasters that broadcast in English do sweetheart deals. They stitch up, through algorithms, their own prominence. That is very difficult for us because we are not regarded as having market power. In some areas, people ask why they should go the distance when Irish is a foreign language. That has been very difficult. I am in my post for four and a half years. The first thing I wanted was to get TG4 on Sky because it was such an important carrier of content. Four and a half years later, we can see that it carries RTÉ and Virgin Media. Can we see TG4? It is not that we are unable to do what is required because our app is one of the most advanced in Europe. However, through sweetheart deals and Sky dragging its feet when it deals with us, it is very difficult for TG4. That needs to be addressed in legislation and regulation. That is the only way. It is only when there is a firm direction from the State that the company will do anything. Otherwise, it will just carry on regardless. That is the way it has been.

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