RT to get 50m a year in new State funding plan [Video]

The State will give RTÉ an average bailout of over €50m a year for the next five years, before the licence fee is phased out and the station is fully funded by the Exchequer, write John Lee and Colm McGuirk.

Ministers this weekend confirmed the broadcaster has been given a “multi-annual commitment” of €255m. Details of the new funding plan for RTÉ were discussed at Cabinet this week.

Under the plan, the station will get a significant increase in Exchequer funding to tide it over in the short term, on top of the current €130m in licence fee revenue.

But as reported in the Irish Mail on Sunday earlier this month, after five years RTÉ will be fully funded directly by the taxpayer.

One senior minister in the discussions said: “The licence fee remains, but will fall.”

Referring to the sharp decrease in licence fee revenue after the scandal involving secret payments to former Late Late …