Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Deputy is right; unfortunately, advertising is limited, and I regret to say there is no particular sign at the moment that it is increasing. There is competition, also, from online advertising for a share of the traditional advertising market. That is a problem for the industry. The answer to the Deputy's question is that it will be an extensive, root-and-branch review because of the phenomenal and accelerating developments in the broadcasting sector. Viewers no longer rely on accessing public service content on traditional televisions. They may now access it through a number of different devices, and they do access public service content, although they may be reluctant to admit it. It does require an extensive review. The Deputy mentioned competition outside the jurisdiction. Obviously, there is online competition, but we must also compete with high-quality public service broadcasters in the neighbouring island. We will examine the overall situation.

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