IRELAND’S BIGGEST newspaper publishers have called on Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to rein in RTÉ’s commercial activities in digital media to prevent the market from being distorted.
In a submission presented in early August, the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) highlights its concerns about the way RTÉ is able to use its €200 million annual licence fee income to leverage its online and mobile activities.
The NNI argues that this puts other media at a significant competitive disadvantage.
The association has also questioned whether RTÉ is acting outside its remit as a State broadcaster, under the terms of both domestic legislation and EU protocols.
“It is unfairly leveraging the privileged position it has in the online and mobile space,” Frank Cullen of the NNI said yesterday. “We are asking for the laws to be rigorously applied.”
Mr Cullen highlighted how rte.ie has links to commercial motoring, property and dating websites and argued that these activities are outside its public service broadcasting remit and should be left to independent media groups.
He was also critical of it offering free applications for smartphones at a time when newspapers are charging for their apps. “There must be limits applied . . . they can’t have a free hand,” he said.
He highlighted how RTÉ is offering packages to advertisers that gives them access to its television, radio and print with the RTÉ Guideand online platforms.
RTÉ, however, described the newspapers’ call as “impractical, inaccurate and regressive” and said it was based on a “fundamentally flawed view of online activity in Ireland, of RTÉ’s dual funding model and of the development and control of the internet worldwide”.
In a statement responding to the newspapers’ submission, the station said its website activity had been “financed entirely using commercial funding sources without recourse to public subvention of any kind”.
“RTÉ does not use licence fee funds to fund its online activity,” the statement said.