Media regulator’s new media diversity policy fails to address RTÉ ‘monopoly’

Coimisiún na Meán has admitted the state’s lack of Irish-language media is a risk – but has failed to implement proposals from Irish language organisations to address it.

The Ditch reported last month that TG4 warned the regulator almost two years ago that the Irish government is breaching EU media freedom law.

According to TG4, RTÉ has a “monopoly” on Irish language news. 

The regulator has now published a new media pluralism policy that fails to address these concerns.

It has now emerged that Conradh na Gaeilge raised related concerns about Irish language services in a submission to the media watchdog last October.

Conradh na Gaeilge asked Coimisiún na Meán to name the Irish language in its objectives, to add language diversity to the policy and to count Irish-language services and content under two of its proposed media pluralism indicators.

It also noted access difficulties faced by TG4 viewers in the six counties.

“Ag teacht le bun-choimitmintí a rinneadh i gComhaontú Aoine an Chéasta, ba cheart go mbeadh teacht ag pobal na Gaeilge sna 6 chontae ar gach clár a chraoltar ar TG4 ó thuaidh fosta, go háirithe na cláir spóirt a chuirtear bac orthu, go minic agus foirne ó na 6 chontae ag imirt,” said Conradh na Gaeilge in its October 2025 submission.

TG4 also made a further submission to the commission the same month, reiterating many of the issues it had raised about Irish language media services the previous year. 

It asked the media regulator to tackle the lack of diversity in Irish language media in its new Media Pluralism Policy published last week.

Though the commission’s new pluralism policy acknowledges the “limited provision of Irish-language and Irish Sign Language services and content” and its role in the “promotion of the Irish language”, it ignores the suggestions put forward by TG4 and Conradh na Gaeilge and fails to list any strategies to address the risks.