RTÉ likely to get back €20m lost in Budget 2027 ‘if it proves reforms are on track’

RTÉ is likely to get the €20 million it lost in the budget if the broadcaster satisfies Government that its reform and redundancy programme is on track, senior Coalition figures believe.There were interventions from both the Taoiseach’s and the Tánaiste’s office yesterday after the revelation that RTÉ had been left €20 million short of the funding it expected for next year.Following these contacts with Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan from Government’s leadership, there was a hastily arranged meeting between the Minister and RTE’s director general Kevin Bakhurst and chairman Terence O’Rourke.Both sides were tight-lipped on the contents of the discussions afterwards but they sought to de-escalate tensions, with both Bakhurst and the Department of Communications describing the meeting as “positive”.READ MOREHowever, senior Government figures, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, are clear that they expect the RTÉ funding row to be defused by restoring the expected funding to the station on condition that it satisfies O’Donovan that its reform programme is on track.It is understood that O’Donovan is due to bring a memo to Government within weeks on funding at the station which may include proposals for licence fee reform which could increase revenues at RTÉ.After yesterday’s meeting, Bakhurst said: “We’ve agreed that we’re going to carry on working with his [O’Donovan’s] officials to try to find a resolution to this.”On whether RTÉ will get the money it expected, Bakhurst said he did not know but asked if he has confidence in the Minister, Bakhurst said: “Absolutely, yes.”[ RTÉ DG says he has confidence in Minister after ‘constructive’ meeting on fundingOpens in new window ]A department statement said O’Donovan listened to the RTÉ concerns and that “the chair and director general provided assurances on the delivery of reforms and their timing”. It added: “The department and RTÉ will continue to engage constructively on all the issues discussed over the next few weeks.”Earlier on Thursday, Coimisiún na Meán expressed disappointment that the budget has “not allowed for the delivery of the level of funding to RTÉ that was previously outlined in the Government’s plans”.It said that “both RTÉ and TG4 require funding that is adequate, sustainable and predictable” and said it had set out recommendations for the funding of both organisations in its Annual Review of Performance and Public Funding for the broadcasters. Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), of which RTÉ is a member, said it was “deeply concerned” by the funding decision.The Department of Communications saidnow that Budget 2027 has been published O’Donovan “intends to issue a formal response to the 2025 Annual Review of Performance and Public Funding and funding recommendations for 2027 submitted by Coimisiún na Meán”. All of this will be published in the coming weeks. The commission and an external consultancy firm told the Government last year that RTÉ’s 2026 budget allocation of €240 million was not adequate to support the broadcaster’s five-year strategy and deliver the reforms the Coalition expected.[ Irish Government was warned last year that RTÉ funding was too lowOpens in new window ]The Government was also told the national broadcaster would face “particularly acute” cash flow issues in 2027, even if it received the €260 million earmarked for next year under the funding deal agreed with the previous government.In the Dáil, Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney accused O’Donovan of “blowing up RTÉ’s budget” and she asked Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke how many redundancies the Government wants at the broadcaster.Burke called for “cool heads”, and insisted that the Government did not expect compulsory redundancies at RTÉ.Meanwhile, TG4 has also requested a meeting with O’Donovan to discuss its budget allocation for 2027 after it was confirmed that it would remain static despite the Irish-language broadcaster requesting an additional €11 million.