378. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the key measures taken to support broadcasting and media since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53457/26]

As I set out in my previous response to the Deputy in December 2025,  I have brought forward a number of legislative and funding measures to support public service media and the provision of public service content by the wider media sector since January 2025.

Two major pieces of media legislation have been introduced to the Oireachtas in 2026:

• the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2026, which was initiated on 27 May 2026;

• the Media Regulation Bill 2026, which was initiated on 26 February 2026.

The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill gives effect to recommendations of the Future of Media Commission, Expert Advisory Committee on Governance and Culture in RTÉ and Article 5 of the EU European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). These reforms aim to enhance accountability, transparency and value-for-money in our public service media providers, RTÉ and TG4, and establish a new statutory framework to support the provision of public service content by the wider sector. The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill will:

• improve the legislative underpinning for the corporate governance of RTÉ and TG4, including by assigning the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) as auditor of RTÉ;

• reform the system under which Coimisiún na Meán assesses the performance of, and recommends funding for, RTÉ and TG4; and

• provide for the conversion of the existing Broadcasting Fund to a platform-neutral statutory Media Fund to be overseen by Coimisiún na Meán to provide funding for the production, archiving and distribution of public service content by the wider sector.

The Bill completed Second Stage in Dáil Éireann on 10 June 2026 and Committee Stage is expected to take place when the Dáil returns after the Summer Recess. The enhancement of accountability and transparency in RTÉ, and in particular the assignment of the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor in sufficient time to audit RTÉ’s 2026 financial statements, is a priority. Accordingly, it is intended to enact the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill by the end of the year.

The Media Regulation Bill will implement the key provisions of EMFA in Ireland and strengthen our existing protections for media pluralism and independence. It has gone through the Dáil and completed Second Stage in the Seanad on 10 June 2026.  It is  expected to be signed into law later this year.  The Bill will:

• modernise the existing media mergers regime under the Competition Act 2002 (as amended);

• introduce new rules to increase the transparency of state advertising; and

• designate a number of additional functions to Coimisiún na Meán, including the development of a media ownership database.

From a funding perspective, to support public service media:

• RTÉ were allocated €225m in public funding 2025 and €240m in 2026 in accordance with the agreed multi-annual public funding for RTÉ from 2025 to 2027; and

• TG4 were allocated €61.09m in 2025 (incorporating a €1.09m supplementary allocation) and €65.4m in 2026 (which is 75% greater than the amount allocated in the Revised Estimates 2020).

The Programme for Government acknowledges that local and national independent broadcasters perform a vital public service and deserve to have this recognised. To that end, funding is provided to Coimisiún na Meán to operate a range of other media funding schemes aimed at supporting public service content provision, including public interest journalism, new audiovisual and audio programming and the digital transformation of content providers.

In 2025, the News Reporting Scheme, the Digital Transformation Scheme and the News and Current Affairs on Commercial Television Scheme were established to complement the existing Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes that had been established the previous year, thereby expanding the range of supports available to the independent and commercial media sector.

The Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes provided €5.7m in total funding in 2025 for the media sector, the vast majority of which was awarded to local print media. The establishment of these funding schemes marked the first time in the State's history that direct financial support was made available to the print sector, building on the indirect support previously provided to the sector through the 0% VAT rate introduced for newspapers, including digital publications, in 2023.

A second funding round saw a further €5.7m awarded through the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes in January 2026 as part of an overall package of funding support for the media sector in excess of €15m administered through the Media Fund.

Just under €3m was awarded as part of this funding package through the Digital Transformation Scheme, a targeted scheme aiming to incentivise investment in technology and services by public service content providers, accelerating the development of sustainable business models in the sector. The Scheme also aims to provide support for the appropriate training and up-skilling of existing staff within the sector.

In addition, €3m was awarded through the News and Current Affairs on Commercial Television Scheme in order to enhance media plurality and diversity and to the availability of high-quality, trusted public service content that informs and educates viewers.

The News Reporting Scheme provided further support for public interest journalism in 2026, focusing on news matters that are under-provided for or at risk of being under-reported. This Scheme included €1m in open and contestable funding and a ring-fenced contestable €3m for the commercial radio sector to support the production of news coverage that is independent, trustworthy and serves the public interest. A second round of funding under the News Reporting Scheme opened in April 2026 with funding decisions expected in due course.

Budget 2026 contained provision for a new €1 million Community Media Scheme to support the work of the Community Media sector. This scheme is currently in the final stages of drafting by Coimisiún na Meán following stakeholder consultation and is expected to open to applicants in July 2026.

In 2025, over €14.2m was awarded across three separate funding rounds through the Sound and Vision Scheme, with approximately 90% of funding awarded to independent producers.  Sound and Vision operates a funding split of 85% for television and 15% for radio, taking into account the cost differential between television and radio production. Radio productions received funding of €2.14m in 2025 while television productions received €12.1m. To date in 2026, €6.4m has been awarded through the Scheme, with further funding rounds scheduled this year. A Social Benefit Round of the Sound and Vision Scheme, providing dedicated support to our community media sector, recently closed for applications with funding announcements expected in due course.

The suite of media schemes funded by my Department and operated by Coimisiún na Meán cater to all parts of the media sector, including through the provision of high-quality public interest journalism through the Local Democracy, Courts Reporting, News Reporting and News and Current Affairs on Commercial Television Schemes, supporting the ability of the sector to invest in digital skills and development through the Digital Transformation Scheme, and continuing to support new audiovisual and audio programming of a cultural value through the Sound and Vision Scheme.

On 18 November 2025, the Government announced over €50 million in new Shared Island Fund investments, including €14 million over 3 years towards a Shared Island Media Fund through which Coimisiún na Meán will take forward a new programme from 2026-2029. This new fund seeks to stimulate the creation of new content, strengthen talent and enable cultural exchange across media on an all-island basis, including through annual dedicated Shared Island Shared Stories rounds of the Sound & Vision Scheme. The first round of funding under Shared Island Shared Stories recently closed for applications and Coimisiún na Meán is now carrying out a competitive assessment process. €4.3 million in funding will be disbursed this year.

In 2026, media funding schemes will continue to provide invaluable support to our local, regional and independent media organisations and the development of a dedicated Community Media Scheme will ensure the continued provision of essential support for local and community media and broadcasters nationwide.