RTÉ and TV3 have warned that they could be in "real danger" of losing a large portion of advertising revenue if a code controlling advertising aimed at children is introduced.
Their claim comes in submissions on advertising to children sent to the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI). The commission is due to release an initial report on the issue next week.
The Labour Party in its submission calls for an outright ban on television advertising directed towards under-12s.
In separate submissions made to the BCI, both Irish broadcasters claim there is a serious risk that advertisers will switch their business from Irish stations to foreign ones broadcasting into Ireland if they are unhappy with the Children's Advertising Code, due to come into force next year.
Foreign stations would not be subject to any code introduced by the BCI.
In its submission, RTÉ said: "There is a real danger of driving commercial revenue from regulated channels in Ireland to non-regulated channels broadcasting into the country."
The national broadcaster also claimed that any code would have an "extremely limited" impact because of the number of foreign channels Irish children are exposed to.
TV3 said it was particularly vulnerable because of its exclusion from public funding.
"The competitiveness of the Irish broadcast sector, particularly the independent sector with its sole reliance on advertising to survive, will be seriously undermined if any Irish regulations are overly cumbersome and restrictive in comparison with the UK-based broadcasters."
It did not make sense, TV3 said, that Irish broadcasters be subject to "excessive regulation".
Both broadcasters said they were in favour of some type of flexible and "realistic" code in relation to children's advertising, and RTÉ suggested that its own voluntary code be used as a model by the BCI.
The Irish broadcaster's view is supported by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland, the Association of Advertisers in Ireland (which made a joint submission) and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, representing local radio, Today FM and TV3.
Children's groups and statutory agencies, however are calling for a rigorous code that would severely restrict advertising towards under-18s.
The Combat Poverty Agency supports "an absolute ban" on advertising to children.
Should this not be implemented, the agency said at the very least there should be a ban on advertising targeted at children under 12, a ban on toy advertising between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and a ban on advertising during children's programmes.
The Children's Rights Alliance submitted that children's advertising should be defined as all advertising that children see, "not merely that which is directed at children, or that which may appeal to children nor that in which they appear".
The National Children's Office said the code "should include advertising which may be targeted at adults but which is viewed by or may be seen as attractive to children".
The Labour Party said it would expand on its view that their should be a total ban on advertising to children under 12 years later in the consultation process.
The code is due to come into force in June 2004.
