Last Updated: Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 10:16

Television licence fee increases by €2

A €2 increase in the RTÉ licence fee comes into effect from today.

The Government raised the levy to €160 following an independent annual review and assessment of the broadcaster's output commitments.

Last November, Communications Minister Eamon Ryan accepted the report's conclusions that RTÉ was providing value for money for the Irish taxpayer and sanctioned the licence fee hike.

In its submission, RTÉ bosses pointed to recent successes in home-produced programming like general election and sports coverage.

The two euro hike in the licence fee will be worth €2.8 million to RTÉ.

A 5 per cent share of the total licence fee already goes towards the Broadcasting Fund which supports independent radio and television programme making.

The rise is expected to support RTÉ efforts to introduce digital terrestrial television in advance of the analogue switch-off date by 2012.

The number of new homes requiring TV licences and a clampdown on the level of evasion is expected to bring in an extra €14 million to RTÉ coffers in 2008.