Ryan Tubridy remains the highest-paid presenter at RTÉ

Ryan Tubridy remains the highest-paid presenter at RTÉ, despite taking a cut to his yearly fee in 2021.

RTÉ on Wednesday released information on fees earned by its ten highest-paid presenters in 2020 and 2021.

Tubridy's media company, Tuttle Productions Ltd, was paid €440,000 in 2021 for the Late Late Show presenter's services. Tubridy was paid €495,000 and €466,250 in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Joe Duffy was the second-highest paid presenter in 2021, earning €351,000, with Claire Byrne following in third on €350,000.

Duffy was paid more in 2020 (€360,650), while Byrne saw her earnings increase by almost €70,000 in 2021 from the previous year (€282,917).

Cuts of 15 and 16 per cent were made to the total earnings of the broadcaster's highest-earning presenters in 2021 and 2020 respectively, Director General at RTÉ Dee Forbes said.

The other high-earners in 2021 included Ray D'Arcy (€305,000), Miriam O'Callaghan (€263,000), Brendan O'Connor (€245,004), Bryan Dobson (€209,282), Mary Wilson (€196,961), Darragh Maloney (€183,738) and George Lee (€179,131).

Among the highest-paid in 2020 was again D'Arcy (€305,000), O'Callaghan (€263,000), O'Connor (€238,753), Dobson (€217,332), Wilson (€204,537), and Moloney (€190,804), as well as Áine Lawlor (€183,662).

Ms Forbes, in a statement accompanying the new figures, acknowledged that “the fees of high-profile presenters attract considerable public interest”.

“Our presenters play an important role in RTÉ’s provision of vital news, information and entertainment to audiences right across the country and enable us to generate commercial revenue which is essential to fund RTÉ’s public services.

“Over the past 15 years RTÉ has reduced these fees by circa 40 per cent. We continue to keep them under review,” she said.

Total fees paid to RTÉ’s highest earning presenters represent less than 1 per cent of RTÉ’s total operating costs, according to the broadcaster's media release.