A YEAR IN REVIEW | 2016

A YEAR IN REVIEW | 2016

RT CONFIRMS 2016 DEFICIT AS LARGE-SCALE SPECIAL EVENTS AND BREXIT IMPACT RESULTS

See http://www.rte.ie/annualreport for full report.

RT is today releasing its Annual Report and Group Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2016.

Despite recording solid operating profits over the last three years, RT has posted a Net Deficit after Tax of 19.7m for 2016. A range of successful large-scale special events, including the centenary celebrations and commemorations, the General Election, Euro 2016, the Olympic Games and Paralympics, alongside the 5 million reduction in public funding in the 2014 Budget and static income from the licence fee all contributed to RT 's financial results for 2016. In a financially difficult year, commercial revenue struggled in the second half of 2016 as the adverse impact of Brexit worsened amid ongoing uncertainty.

The Annual Report also highlights RT 's many achievements in 2016, including:

Biggest ever civic event in history of state, RT Reflecting the Rising, staged by RT on Easter Monday attended by 750,000 people

More than 3million people tuned in to RT 's television coverage across the Easter commemorative weekend

RT Player delivered a record 4.2 million streams per month and more than 50million overall, up 10 million on 2015

Over 1,000,000 people tuned into RT Radio 1 each week

885 hours of original sport programming delivered by RT Sport, including memorable Euro 2016, Olympic Games, Paralympics and GAA coverage.

RT Orchestras, Quartets and Choirs performed to the delight of more than 184,000 people, up 28,000 year-on-year

RT .ie had an average of 54million page views each month in 2016

Saorview became the largest television platform in Ireland

Dee Forbes, Director-General RT , said: "2016 was a financially challenging year for RT . Hosting and covering the most important anniversary in the history of the state coincided with a General Election, a NI Assembly Election, the UK EU Referendum, a US Presidential Election, the Euros, Olympics and Paralympics. The cost of the centenary events and coverage was an onerous one for RT to absorb, while commercial revenue struggled for growth and public funding remained static. Despite these challenges, RT delivered first-class election and sports coverage and analysis to our audiences on all platforms, and an ambitious centenary programme that we can all be very proud of.

She added, "The investment of proceeds from the recent sale of land and plans to significantly reshape the organisation will better equip RTE to meet the needs of our audiences in what is a very challenging market. However, as I said last week, the current uncertainty around the TV Licence Fee system, both in its current performance and in how and when it might be reformed, is making it almost impossible for RT and those reliant on us, to plan ahead. The failure to reform and modernise the current TV Licence system is costing jobs across the sector, causing a stark reduction on Irish made TV programming, threatening the provision of trusted news and current affairs and is having a stifling effect on the potential of the Irish broadcasting sector as whole."

Moya Doherty, Chair of the RT Board, commented: "While celebrating all that was achieved by RT in 2016, the Board also has to consider many of the challenges facing public-service media and how we can address these. The achievements - growth of RT 's digital services, the excellence of RT 's investigative journalism, the tremendous coverage of Ireland's centenary and much more besides - are against the backdrop of huge financial challenges, many of which are ongoing. The Board is committed to continuing to work with the Director-General to address these challenges, to help in the development of RT 's new five-year strategy and the important evolution of Ireland's national public media."

See http://www.rte.ie/annualreport for more and to download the full report.

ENDS

S IL SIAR AR AN MBLIAIN | 2016

EASNAMH AIRGID IN 2016 DEIMHNITHE AG RT AGUS TIONCHAR AG M R-IMEACHTA SPEISIALTA AGUS AN BREATIMEACHT AR THORTHA

D anfaidh RT Tuarasc il Bhliant il agus R itis Airgid Chomhdhl ite an Ghr pa don bhliain dar cr och an 31 Nollaig 2016 a eisi int inniu.

Ainneoin brab s l idir oibr ochta le tr bliana bh Glan-Easnamh 19.7m ar RT sa bhliain 2016 i ndiaidh c nach. I measc na nithe a raibh tionchar acu ar thortha airgid na bliana 2016 bh m r-imeachta speisialta, imeachta ar irigh go maith leo - ceili radh agus com radh an ch id, an tOlltoghch n, Euro 2016, na Cluich Oilimpeacha agus Parailimpeacha - chomh maith le laghd 5milli n a bheith ar mhaoini poibl i mBuis ad 2014 agus gan aon athr a bheith ar ioncam n t ille cead nais. Ba bhliain achrannach a bh inti thaobh airgid de agus bh drochthionchar ag an mBreatimeacht agus an neamhchinnteacht a bhain leis ar ioncam tr cht la sa dara leath den bhliain.

L ir tear freisin sa Tuarasc il Bhliant il go leor de bhuaicphoint RT sa bhliain 2016, ina measc:

An c id phoibl is m i stair an St it a re cht il Radharc ar an R abhl id RT a bh ar si l Luan C sca agus a ndearna 750,000 duine freastal uirthi.

D fh ach breis is 3 mhilli n duine ar chl dach teilif se RT ar imeachta dheireadh seachtaine na C sca

Cheangail an seinnteoir RT Player 4.2 milli n sruth in aghaidh na m osa

D ist os cionn 1,000,000 duine le RT Radio 1 gach seachtain

L irigh Sp rt RT 885 uair an chloig d bhar sp irt ina measc Euro 2016, na Cluich Oilimpeacha agus Parailimpeacha agus cl dach CLG.

Chas Ceolfhoirne, Ceathair id agus C ir RT do bhreis is 184,000 duine, ard 28,000 ar an mbliain roimhe sin

Breathna odh 54 milli n uair ar an me n in aghaidh na m osa ar RT .ie i rith na bliana 2016

Bh Saorview ar an ard n teilif se is m in irin

LINK:	http://www.rte.ie/about/en/press-office/press-releases/2017/0718/89121...
	See more stories from rte

Most recent headlines