The price of an annual television licence today rises by €3 to €158. The Government agreed in 2003 to grant RTE an inflationary increase each year provided that it meets its programming commitments.
The last licence hike — also €3 — was in April 2005. RTE claims the extra revenue will help it to deliver better input across TV, radio and publishing.
The increase will provide the national broadcaster with an estimated increase in public funding of about €4 million in a full year.
The station also hopes to generate more revenue from new households buying TV sets and by an aggressive clampdown on licence evasion. RTE made a €9 million profit in 2005, up 30 per cent on the previous year.
