Irish Producer Larry Bass Calls for Stable Funding for RTÉ

Larry Bass, a prominent Irish film and television producer, has voiced strong criticism regarding the ongoing funding issues at RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. Bass asserts that RTÉ will continue to struggle unless its funding is definitively resolved, impacting its ability to operate effectively and plan for the future.

Bass, known for producing successful shows such as "Home Of The Year" and "Dancing With The Stars," as well as the critically acclaimed film "The Miracle Club," believes that a stable public funding model, similar to that in Germany, would alleviate RTÉ's financial woes. He suggests that a properly managed license fee, collected from all citizens, could make the broadcaster less reliant on commercial revenue.

"Until its funding is sorted out once and for all, it’s always going to be a bit of a basket case," Bass stated. "No business can operate if it does not know what its actual operational budgets are going to be."

He criticized the current approach by Minister Patrick O’Donovan, highlighting a perceived inconsistency in policy. Bass pointed out the minister's refusal to impose a levy on streaming services like Netflix, a measure adopted by other European countries to support local content creation. France, he noted, has implemented high levies on streamers, which helps fund its robust film and television industry.

"The Minister said he’s not going to raise the subscriptions for Irish subscribers to Netflix. It’s nothing to do with the subscription, it’s built into your subscription already," Bass explained, contrasting Ireland with Denmark, which has a similar-sized population but implements a 7% levy on streamers, resulting in lower subscription costs for Danish consumers.

Despite these challenges, Bass's production company, ShinAwil, has continued to diversify and take on ambitious projects. The company recently produced "Celtic Exodus," a musical about the Famine, which opened at the Round Room in Dublin's Mansion House. Bass initially turned down the project due to its complex narrative but revised it into a more focused production. He also noted that securing a large enough venue in Ireland for the scale of the production proved difficult, a common challenge for large-scale theatrical endeavors.

Bass, who began his career as a sound engineer and DJ at 13, transitioned to television production after studying. He founded ShinAwil and achieved early success with the documentary "Made In Dublin" and the reality series "Popstars."

His production company has expanded into dramas and feature films, with "The Miracle Club" becoming the highest-grossing Irish film of 2023. ShinAwil also produced the crime drama series "Clean Sweep" for RTÉ and "Borderline" for ZDF in Germany. Bass emphasized that taking risks is inherent to the production business.

"You can’t be in business if you’re afraid of risk, you wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning," he said. "Every day you open the door, every day you hire somebody, every day you put a budget together for anything, everything could backfire, but you have to have faith."

Regarding RTÉ's future, a spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media stated that the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2026 includes provisions for Coimisiún na Meán to submit public funding recommendations for RTÉ and TG4 for the years 2028-2030. The Minister and Government will consider these recommendations within available fiscal resources. The department also noted that a move to a public funding-only model, as suggested by the Future of Media Commission, would be "highly problematic" without additional tax or license fee revenue to compensate for lost commercial income.

The Department reiterated the Minister's stance on the streaming levy, stating he will not impose it until he is satisfied it will not place an undue burden on Irish consumers.