RTÉ 2020 Annual Report

Today, tomorrow, together

RTÉ is Ireland’s national public-service media organisation – on television, radio, online and mobile.

The 60th Annual Report and Group Financial Statements for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020 presented to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in line with sections 109 and 110 of the Broadcasting Act 2009.

Is féidir leagan Gaeilge den Tuarascáil a íoslódáil ó www.rte.ie/annualreport

Thousands shared in St. Patrick’s Day fun with the #RTEVirtualParade.

Thousands more joined with RTÉ to #ShineALight.

Children (and parents) flocked to RTÉ’s Home School Hub.

1.7 million people watched The Late Late Toy Show on RTÉ platforms.

The Illuminations art project fostered solidarity and built resilience.

With profound sadness, RTÉ announced the death of Marian Finucane in January.

Director-General’s Review

RTÉ, as the national public service media, has unique responsibilities. At the heart of these is the mission to provide people in Ireland with an impartial and comprehensive news service, and to entertain, inform and illuminate. Never was that mission more acute, and more demonstrable, than in 2020.

When the nation came together in crisis, audiences of all ages turned to the national broadcaster for information, advice, entertainment, companionship, diversion and cultural connection. In an era of misinformation and half-truths, millions of Irish citizens relied on public service media more than ever. Independent research showed that 90% of people turned to RTÉ News for vital information in 2020; B&A research confirmed that 4 out of 5 of those surveyed said that they were using RTÉ television or radio services for information, while 76% indicated that they would trust either of those sources above all others.

It is remarkable, in retrospect, that RTÉ maintained full schedules across all services in 2020, and where necessary augmented planned coverage with additional live broadcasts and new programmes. While certain productions had to be suspended or stepped down due to public health restrictions, other dedicated programming was commissioned with exceptionally tight deadlines. Achieving this level of resilience and output under such challenging circumstances was far from easy. I am incredibly proud of the tireless work by our staff and our partners in the independent sector to find solutions and work with creativity, determination and commitment, to ensure that we deliver services for the people of Ireland.

Chair's Statement

2020, the year of the pandemic, was a year of contrasts. While we were finding ways to negotiate the difficulties and family tragedies the virus wrought, we also saw the emergence of new forms of thinking, new ideas, new ways to communicate and new forms of community partnership.

Financial Review

Like many businesses, RTÉ’s financial position was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The initial impact of the pandemic restrictions led to an unprecedented and severe decline in revenue, both commercial and licence fee, and cessation of production activity.

RTÉ: What We Made in 2020

RTÉ News & Current Affairs

In an unprecedented year for Ireland and the world, more people turned to RTÉ for News & Current Affairs than ever before, with 90% of Irish people choosing RTÉ as their primary source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic (Amárach Research on behalf of the Department of Health).

Factual

As the pandemic hit, production teams across RTÉ and the independent sector responded admirably to the challenges that arose, introducing new ways of working to continue to deliver high-quality programmes and to develop brand-new programmes to meet changing audience needs. Audiences responded positively and in huge numbers to both types of output.

Drama and Comedy

RTÉ Radio 1’s Drama on One employed 20 Irish writers, 60 actors, 4 directors, 2 composers and 2 sound designers in 2020, broadcasting 20 new Irish radio plays. Participating writers included Liz Nugent, Michele Forbes, Tracy Martin, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú, Niamh Campbell, Vincent Woods, Stephen Jones, Bernard Farrell, Aidan Mathews, Alan McMonagle, Patrick McCabe and John Boorman. Meanwhile, the Drama on One series Long Story Short commissioned new Irish writing reflecting experiences of the pandemic.

Entertainment and Music

The year got off to a strong start with another successful series of Dancing with the Stars (ShinAwiL); presenter Lottie Ryan won the 2020 series just as lockdown started. Meanwhile, throughout the various lockdowns, The Late Late Show continued to tell Irish stories, albeit without a live studio audience, and provided safe spaces to inform, educate and entertain in a very different Ireland. The programme brought the work of the charity sector into sharp focus, and its campaigns raised over €7.5 million for causes including suicide prevention, cancer research and homelessness. The Toy Show Appeal, part of another massively successful Late Late Toy Show, raised another €6.7 million for vulnerable children across Ireland.

Arts and Culture

Throughout 2020, both before and after pandemic restrictions were introduced, RTÉ continued to offer emotionally enriching arts and culture content. We necessarily adapted in response to the practical challenges and operational constraints posed by Covid-19. We maintained the core of our Arts and Culture broadcast schedules while successfully devising new ways of working, including multi-platform broadcast productions designed to inspire and provide solace and meaning to audiences.

RTÉ Sport

2020 was extremely challenging for sport, as the onset of Covid-19 all but wiped clean the sporting calendar, nationally and internationally. The major European soccer tournaments, the Olympics and the GAA championships were all postponed, leading to multiple logistical, editorial, financial and scheduling difficulties. While sporting archive moments provided a well-received distraction, they are no substitute for live sport. To the credit of the sporting organisations, they adapted to the prevailing circumstances and made contingency plans.

Young People

2020 began with a packed schedule of live action and animated content for both TRTÉ and RTÉjr. Popular series such as RTÉjr Goes Dancing with the Stars, Body Brothers and Bright Sparks returned to engage, educate and entertain our youngest audiences.

Irish Language

RTÉ committed to broadcasting a minimum of 530 hours of Irish-language content across our four linear television channels from 2020 onwards, an increase of over 400 hours of content. These hours featured a mix of in-house and commissioned originals as well as acquired programmes from TG4. By December 2020, RTÉ had broadcast in excess of 700 hours of Irish-language content on television, over 1,100 hours on RTÉ Player and nearly 9,000 hours on radio.