Recent statistics reveal a troubling trend in TV licence sales in Ireland, significantly attributed to ongoing scandals involving RTÉ. In the first five months of 2026, only 299,373 TV licences were sold, generating €47.89 million in revenue. This represents a 4.5% decline compared to the same period last year.
Decline in TV Licence Figures
Minister for State at the Department of Communications, Charlie McConalogue, provided the latest figures highlighting a worrying decrease in TV licence sales. In 2025, a total of 768,000 licences were sold, down from 792,000 in 2024, marking a 3% decline. The year 2023 witnessed an even steeper drop, where 824,278 licences were sold, down 13% from 2022’s figure of 947,924.
Impact of RTÉ Scandals
Darren O’Rourke, responding to the new data, expressed concern over the funding model for public broadcasting, linking the decline directly to scandals at RTÉ. He stated that the “single biggest contributing factor is scandal after scandal in RTÉ.” In 2019, over 1 million TV licences were sold, highlighting the stark contrast with current figures.
- 2019: Over 1 million TV licences sold.
- 2022: 947,924 licences sold.
- 2023: 824,278 licences sold.
- 2024: 792,000 licences sold.
- 2025: 768,000 licences sold.
- 2026 (first five months): 299,373 licences sold.
Factors Leading to Decline
During discussions in the Dáil, Minister McConalogue identified three key factors contributing to the decline in TV licence sales:
- An ageing population increasing the number of free licence qualifications by 13,000 to 20,000 annually.
- A growing number of households without a liable television set due to changing viewing habits.
- Increased evasion of licence fees following revelations about RTÉ’s governance and presenter payments in July 2023.
Future of the TV Licence System
Despite these challenges, the Government plans to retain the TV licence system, focusing on enhancing compliance and collection methods. A technical working group has been reconvened to propose reforms aimed at stabilizing revenue. Minister McConalogue emphasized the importance of a credible public service broadcaster, especially given the rise of misinformation online.
The €160 TV licence fee, collected by An Post, allocates approximately 85% of its revenues to RTÉ for public service media commitments, while 7% goes to Coimisiún na Meán, and An Post receives around 6% for collection activities.
The ongoing reforms and commitments aim to restore public confidence in the TV licence model, ensuring a robust framework for public broadcasting in Ireland.
