RTÉ IS planning to offer Ireland’s biggest newspaper publishers the opportunity to host free clips from its news bulletins on their websites in an effort to defuse a row over the broadcaster’s commercial digital media activities.
The Irish Timeshas learned RTÉ's new director general, Noel Curran, will make the offer in the coming days to the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI), a body representing most of Ireland's biggest newspaper groups.
This will involve a six-month pilot scheme where RTÉ television news reports in full-clip format would be made available free to Irish newspaper websites as a daily resource.
These clips would cover general news, politics, economics, business and health, but sport is unlikely to be included. Material would be credited to RTÉ and could not be re-edited or repackaged by the newspapers.
To date, Irish newspapers have struggled to make money from running their online news websites. This offer could help them attract more traffic to their portals, making them more attractive to advertisers. RTÉ’s online content is available to web users free, including replays of popular TV and radio programmes.
The broadcaster’s offer will apply to all national newspapers in the Republic who are members of the NNI, including British titles. It is understood members of RTÉ news staff were informed last night.
Mr Curran’s initiative follows a campaign over the past year by the NNI to try to curb RTÉ digital media activities.
In September, the NNI called on the Government and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to rein in RTÉ’s commercial online activities to prevent the market from being distorted. It raised concerns about RTÉ using its near-€200 million annual licence fee to leverage its online and mobile activities.
The NNI has focused on how RTÉ.ie has links to commercial motoring, property and dating websites and argued these activities are outside its public service broadcasting remit and should be left to independent media groups.
The offer follows a review of RTÉ’s operations initiated by Mr Curran, who took over on February 1st.
RTÉ declined to comment.