An MEP has vowed to oppose any change in the law that would see dodgy box users fined. 

An estimated one in five Irish people have a dodgy box, a phenomenon which is thought to cost the TV industry hundreds of millions in lost subscription fees. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, independent MEP for Ireland South Michael McNamara admitted dodgy boxes are a “huge problem” but said the TV industry was partly to blame for the huge number of users. 

He noted that even though sport is funded by the Government, people still have to pay large sums to watch their favourite teams play. 

“We need to acknowledge that reality as well, that on the one hand, you have sports which are heavily funded by the Government,” he said. 

“And on the other hand, there's this increasing commercialisation of them and astronomical sums being paid in the transfer market - which is largely funded by increases in TV subscription fees.

“I'm saying that the content providers need to look at themselves as well, need to look at their practices and need to ensure that there isn't a failure in the market, that they are essentially pricing themselves out of the market.” 

A man with a TV remote control. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Recently, Italy has resorted to fining users and there is an expectation that Ireland could soon do likewise. 

It is not a path that Mr McNamara feels he can support. 

“Neither should we necessarily just accept this move towards administrative fines,” he said. 

“Which is very much where this debate was [going] in the European Parliament. 

“There's an increasing tendency to just change the law for administrative fines. 

“I'm not sure that that's going to be the solution alone because while you said that there's a high percentage of people, the problem is the percentage is getting higher and higher.”

Main image: A TV remote control. Picture by: Alamy.