Income from the licence fee dropped €4 million last year compared to 2023, according to RTÉ’s annual report.
RTÉ is expected to publish its 2024 Annual Report, following Cabinet approval. It states that RTÉ recorded a Surplus of €5.5 million for the year.
The broadcaster’s revenue is made up from commercial revenue and income from the TV licence, and the 2024 report states that total revenue increased by €36.4m between 2024 and 2023.
The report however shows that licence fee income received by RTÉ in 2024 was down €4m compared to 2023.
There was an increase in 2024 in commercial revenue of €158.1m, which it says represents a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, when compared to the 2023 figure of €150.7m.
In 2024, the Government approved RTÉ’s five-year strategy and committed public funding of €725m for the years 2025 to 2027.
As a result, combined licence fee income and Government funding received by RTÉ in 2024 was €222.3m, compared to €193.3m in 2023.
The main reasons for this were increases in television trading and digital trading income, the broadcaster reports.
Special events ranging from the UEFA Euro 2024 championships, the Olympics and Paralympics and the General, Local and European elections cost the organisation €13.7m which is an increase of €6.3m from 2023.
For the second time, and in line with the previous commitment from RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst, the report includes the earnings of its ten highest-paid earners for the year, as well as remuneration details of members of its Leadership Team.
The remuneration details of RTÉ staff in annual reports include pensions and allowances, where paid.
The details from the pending 2024 RTÉ annual report states that the top ten earners in RTÉ in 2024 included five members of the management team.
They are:
Presenter Joe Duffy – €351,000
Director General Kevin Bakhurst – €339,954
Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch – €292,285
Director of Operations, Technology & Transformation Richard Waghorn – €287,120
Managing Director of News & Current Affairs Deirdre McCarthy – €281,187
Presenter Claire Byrne – €280,000
Director of Human Resources Eimear Cusack – €274,694
Presenter Patrick Kielty – €255,657
Presenter Miriam O’Callaghan – €246,708
Presenter Brendan O’Connor – €244,099
Mr Bakhurst has made it policy at the broadcaster that nobody will be paid a salary higher than him.
The Director General’s earnings are made up of a salary of €250,000, pension contribution of €62,500, allowances of €25,000 and other payments of €2,454.
In 2024, there was one severance payment and includes a contribution to legal fees agreed with a former member of the previous executive board with a total cost of €475,000.