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. Peter McCarthy:
In terms of the public service content definition, which was the question, that is something we have been calling for and discussing at length over the past couple of years from a Virgin Media television perspective. There is no definition of public service broadcasting or public service content, and we believe it should be defined and now is the time to do that. It should be clear and there should be guidelines on what public service content is. Virgin Media television is normally left out of discussions about what public service broadcasting is, and it is typically RTÉ and TG4, whereas we provide a key public service to the Irish public. The time is now. That is why I welcome our involvement in discussions such has today's, and in the Future of Media Commission. We can be part of that definition. As the Deputy probably hears us say constantly, it is important it is transparent and fair, and that the public funds go towards content for Ireland and it is transparent where that goes.
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