Full coverage: Media

It’s perverse to think that the people asking the questions of the state broadcaster over recent weeks are those who should also be answering them.

New trends emerging from the beleaguered Californian studios could point the way for RTÉ as it frantically seeks to develop a viable strategy. The future for the troubled national broadcaster could lie in scrapping the RTÉ Player and selling content to viewers through the likes of Netflix or YouTube.

With revenue of €4 million, the central charge against RTÉ in the case of GAAGO is that it is asking licence fee payers to pay twice, once through the fee and another if they take a subscription.

Successive Oireachtas hearings have left politicians none the wiser about who to believe, but the bling they have revealed shows the need for a plan to refocus resources on public-service broadcasting.

Thursday’s proceedings featured an attempt to appear by text, Rory Gallagher and a tit-for-tat response to Ryan Tubridy and Noel Kelly’s evidence.

We cannot continue to avoid dealing with the funding issue which is at the root of the current difficulties at RTÉ, writes Oireachtas Media Committee member, Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne.

Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly gave a diametrically opposing account to RTÉ's on how the Renault deal unfolded, who knew about it and why the deal was underwritten by the station. Both sides are now digging in.

Documents and statements before the Oireachtas show agreement on how much money changed hands – but not on where it came from.

While many aspects of the way RTÉ handles star pay remain unexplained, one fact is clear: €150,000 of the top-ups paid to Ryan Tubridy, while legal, are questionable.

RTÉ has known about the commercial and editorial challenges of managing commercial arrangements for decades. It has yet to ensure transparency in the terms of this engagement.