MIKE CORMACK,
Sir, - I have just received a notice from NTL informing me that the cost of the Sky Sports pack will rise by 14.5 per cent to €20.50 a month. This increase is around three times our current inflation rate. The timing is no doubt connected to the forthcoming Ryder Cup.
My total payment to NTL over the next year will be €539. This includes an extra TV point, the compulsory TV pack and the decoder. Comparing this with the cost of a TV licence: €107. I watch far more television on the other networks (RTE, BBC, UTV) at about a fifth of the cost of Sky.
This is not a level playing-field. How can our national broadcaster compete against Sky? It is time the Government woke up to this exploitation , and took steps to halt the cherry-picking of prime sporting events.
I would willingly pay a TV licence of €300 if RTE could deliver the same package. - Yours, etc.,
MIKE CORMACK, Ardagh Close, Blackrock, Co Dublin.