TG4: RTÉ is a monopoly and government is breaching EU media freedom law
The Irish government is breaching EU media freedom law and RTÉ “is a monopoly” – according to TG4.
The Irish-language public service broadcaster has urged Coimisiún na Meán to intervene to secure the “editorial independence of Nuacht TG4”.
The submission was published yesterday in the media regulator’s Report on Ownership and Control of Media Businesses in Ireland 2021-2023.
State breaching EU law
“The RTÉ Irish language news and Nuacht TG4 are provided by RTÉ. There is therefore no plurality in respect of Irish language news in the state,” said TG4.
TG4 also told the regulator it has had funding to commission just 10 hours of investigative current affairs in the last eight years.
The broadcaster said the position puts the state in breach of article three of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).
This requires member states to respect the right of recipients of media services to access a plurality of editorially independent media content.
“The failure to implement recommendation 7.1 of the Future of Media Commission Report by 8 November 2024 means that the state is in breach of article 3 of the EMFA to the detriment of plurality,” said TG4.
TG4 also warned the state would be in breach of article 5 of the act – concerning the independence and funding of public service broadcasters – if its position wasn’t corrected by August 2025. It wasn’t corrected.
“Article 5(3) of the EMFA must be urgently implemented because the current funding model undermines the capacity of TG4 to fulfil its core public service function and has the effect that TG4 does not have ;the capacity to develop’ to the detriment of pluralism and the wider public sphere,” reads the submission.
“Article 5 has direct effect in Ireland from 8 August 2025. A failure to ensure funding procedures for TG4 that ‘shall guarantee that public service media providers have adequate, sustainable and predictable financial resources’ by 8 August 2025 will mean that the state is in breach of Article 5(3),” it said.
‘RTÉ is a monopoly’
TG4 noted the government’s failure to implement recommendation 7.1 of the Future of Media Commission report.
This recommendation said TG4 should have independent editorial control over its news services.
“RTÉ is a monopoly and Coimisiún na Meán must promote pluralism through the urgent implementation of Recommendation 7.1… to secure the editorial independence of Nuacht TG4,” said TG4 in a November 2024 submission to the state media watchdog.
Media minister Patrick O’Donovan told the Dáil last month that Coimisiún na Meán was exploring options for providing editorial control to TG4.
“D’fhonn an moladh seo a chur i bhfeidhm, tá Coimisiún na Meán ag obair leis an dá chraoltóir chun na roghanna féideartha a phlé maidir le smacht eagarthóireachta a chur ar fáil do TG4 ar bhealach costéifeachtach a fhreastalóidh ar lucht éisteachta,” said O’Donovan.
