Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport
General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed)
2:00 am
Mr. Anthony Muldoon:
That is exactly it. The commission's own feasibility study said a content levy should be brought in. That is the first thing I will say. The levy it recommended would bring in €11 million in its first year and, when it reached mature growth, it would bring in €20 million. All of a sudden, a €20 million pot of money is created for indigenous investment in Irish production companies. That equates to 47% or 48% of RTÉ's current investment in the independent sector. It is a massive boon and opportunity that has now unfortunately been lost. As we have said before, we hope that the Minister might re-evaluate the decision he has made in the coming months. It is very important to note that the legislation still allows it to be introduced. We hope he will look at it again in the next 18 months. It is a very significant investment opportunity for media development through the commission.
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