Terrestrial television is facing ‘extinction’ and it is ‘very sad’ to see the fall in people paying their TV Licence fee, according to legendary film director Jim Sheridan.
A new survey released this morning shows that Irish people are now spending €1.3 billion a year on streaming subscriptions.
The Pure Telecom survey found that the average Irish adult pays for 2.4 video streaming services at a cost of €28.26 per month.
Meanwhile, there is an ongoing fall in TV Licence revenue, with figures showing licence sales fell by €2.7 million in July.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Jim Sheridan said the falloff is “very sad” to see.
“RTÉ is in an impossible position because nobody wants to pay a TV licence,” he said.
“Who wants to pay any kind of a licence anywhere on Planet Earth? Who does? Nobody.
“So, you put RTÉ in the invidious position of being the person coming to take the money out of your bank account and then you are just going to make the population at large hate them.
“Either you support public television or you don’t, you know?”
Jim Sheridan at a campaign event in 2009. Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNewsThe ‘In the Name of the Father’ director said the State broadcaster will need ongoing Government “life support” to survive.
“[Traditional TV] has been on the way out for ten years. It is reaching the extinction level,” he said.
“Like first to go is cable in the US, then RTÉ will go, BBC will go – I mean they won’t go so long as they are supported on life support by the Government.
“Probably that needs to happen just as the Government in Ireland supports Screen Ireland."
Streaming
Mr Sheridan said streamers will soon have to stop investing so heavily in original content, warning that they are “not going to survive in their current form”.
“I actually think there is a huge hole at the centre of the streaming and the reason they don’t want to give their data out is nobody is watching their programmes – but they are paying them,” he said.
“Like I pay for Netflix and Amazon but I never watch it, you know? The kids watch it.”
VOD tax
He said the Irish film and TV industry has shown itself to be up to world standard in recent years – and it is essential to finance and support the industry, through RTÉ or otherwise.
He said one option for the Government would be to introduce a tariff on streaming services that goes directly to the Irish industry.
“You would give €100m or €200m to Irish film and production companies,” he said. “Otherwise, you let the streamers just decide who they want to finance, you know?”
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