RTE wants to introduce a compulsory fee to offset the €65 million a year loss.
The national broadcaster is pushing the Government to bring in a charge for all households whether or not they have a TV. RTE warned it doesn't have a "sustainable future" after a massive drop in people paying the licence fee.
RTE director of strategy, Rory Coveney, said: "The public funding system, by common consent, is not working. We believe that some sort of household-based charge, decoupled from a television, is what's required to accurately capture the viewing that's going on."
