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Ireland receives first TV licence application from UK-based broadcaster

Broadcasting Authority Ireland says it received application in last week

The head of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has revealed the organisation has received its first TV licence application for a London-based broadcaster.

In an interview with The Irish Times, BAI chief executive Michael O’Keefe said he wouldn’t reveal the name of the broadcaster, but the application had been received in the last week or so.

Under the ‘country of origin’ principle in EU media law, a broadcaster with a licence in any EU state can broadcast into any other EU market. Member states have the right to prevent the broadcast of unlicensed services, but do not have an obligation to do so.

O’Keefe said the regulator has had “conversations” with UK-based channels over the past two years which are now evolving from enquiries to “concrete one-on-one meetings”.

He said the BAI will be examining contingency plans in the new year if it looks like existing licences might be invalidated overnight, should the UK fail to secure a deal.