The former Director General of RTÉ has said the issue of TV license fees in hotels needs to be addressed.

Cathal Goan occupied the head role at the broadcaster from 2003 to 2011.

He was succeeded by Noel Curran, the predecessor to the present Director General Dee Forbes.

Under the current rules, any premises with a television is required to have a TV licence which costs €160.

For businesses, while there is a legal obligation to have a valid licence, there is no requirement to have one for each television as one licence covers all TV sets at a single premises.

Speaking to Cuán Ó Flatharta on Newstalk's Splanc programme, Mr Goan said the current rules in place for businesses need to be changed.

He outlined that licenses for hotels, in particular, should be replaced, as they must only pay one fee for often having hundreds of televisions on the premises.

"Ireland is the only country that I know in which the TV license fee is based on a private house rate for hotels," he said.

"If there’s a hotel with 300 rooms, they only need one license.

"That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense."

    

Mr Goan then called for a broadcast charge to replace the standard TV license in hotels.

He added: "There should be a broadcast charge there for those businesses.

"I know it’s a bad time at the moment, with the pressures of the pandemic, but when life goes back to normal, that should be addressed."

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously indicated his support for the introduction of a new broadcasting charge nationwide.

The levy would replace the TV licence and is aimed at funding public service broadcasting and independent journalism.

It would have to be paid by all households even if they do not own a TV, meaning it would apply to those who watch programmes or films on non-traditional devices - such as laptops and tablets.

It is currently being examined by a Commission on the Future of Media, which is expected to report back by the summer of 2021.