Income from the licence fee dropped €4 million last year compared to 2023, according to RTÉ's annual report.
RTÉ has published its 2024 Annual Report, following Cabinet approval. It states that RTÉ recorded a Surplus of €5.5 million for the year.
The broadcaster's revenue is made up from commercial revenue and income from the TV licence, and the 2024 report states that total revenue increased by €36.4m between 2024 and 2023.
The report however shows that licence fee income received by RTÉ in 2024 was down €4m compared to 2023.
Commercial revenue in 2024 was €158.1m, which represents a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, when compared to the 2023 figure of €150.7m.
In 2024, the Government approved RTÉ's five-year strategy and committed public funding of €725m for the years 2025 to 2027.
As a result, combined licence fee income and Government funding received by RTÉ in 2024 was €222.3m, compared to €193.3m in 2023.
The main reasons for this were increases in television trading and digital trading income, the broadcaster reports.
Special events ranging from the UEFA Euro 2024 championships, the Olympics and Paralympics and the General, Local and European elections cost the organisation €13.7m which is an increase of €6.3m from 2023.
For the second time, and in line with the previous commitment from RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst, the report includes the earnings of its ten highest-paid earners for the year, as well as remuneration details of members of its Leadership Team.
The remuneration details of RTÉ staff in annual reports include pensions and allowances, where paid.
The details from the pending 2024 RTÉ annual report states that the top ten earners in RTÉ in 2024 included five members of the management team.
They are:
- Presenter Joe Duffy - €351,000
- Director General Kevin Bakhurst - €339,954
- Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch - €292,285
- Director of Operations, Technology & Transformation Richard Waghorn - €287,120
- Managing Director of News & Current Affairs Deirdre McCarthy - €281,187
- Presenter Claire Byrne - €280,000
- Director of Human Resources Eimear Cusack - €274,694
- Presenter Patrick Kielty - €257,657
- Presenter Miriam O’Callaghan - €246,708
- Presenter Brendan O’Connor - €244,099
Mr Bakhurst has made it policy at the broadcaster that nobody will be paid a salary higher than him.
The Director General’s earnings are made up of a salary of €250,000, pension contribution of €62,500, allowances of €25,000 and other payments of €2,454.
In 2024, there was one severance payment and includes a contribution to legal fees agreed with a former member of the previous executive board with a total cost of €475,000.
RTÉ's annual report also shows the number of staff increased from 2023 to 2024.
The staff headcount, as measured by full time equivalents, was up marginally from 1,734 in 2023 to 1,740 last year.
Total operating costs were €363m and depreciation was €14.4m which meant the organisation recorded a surplus of €5.5m compared to a loss of €9.1m in 2023.
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