THE growth of digital television would mean that more decisions about what Irish people watched on television would be made outside the country, according to RTE's director-general designate, Mr Bob Collins.
Speaking to the Association of Advertisers, Mr Collins said that without a strong Irish broadcasting system, Irish viewers would be faced with more and more television from distant sources which viewed Ireland as a "peripheral add-on".
He welcomed Radio Ireland, saying the welcome would also be extended to TV3.
He said that in the face of radio and television appealing to increasingly narrow audiences, RTE would continue to appeal to a "totality". While it was important to appeal to a young audience, RTE would not forget other age groups.
Mr Collins spoke of how RTE planned to expand its services. The hours of Network 2 would be extended from next week and there were also plans to extend the hours of RTE 1. RTE was also expanding its services in Northern Ireland by boosting the power of its transmitters.
UTV, already received in 70 per cent of homes in the Republic, has announced that it plans to increase its presence in the South as part of the reciprocal arrangement.