What is Coimisiún na Meán?

Which broadcasters, video-on-demand providers and online platforms are you talking about?  

Broadcasters 

Broadcasting refers to content like programmes on TV or radio. These include public service (TV and radio) media broadcasters in Ireland (RTÉ, TG4) and independent broadcasting services (e.g. Virgin TV or Spin FM).  

Video-on-demand  

Video-on-demand services allow programmes to be watched whenever the viewer likes, for example Apple TV or the RTÉ Player. 

Online platforms  

We regulate online platforms that are established in Ireland. We have an Online Safety Framework that is made up of three laws that allow us to do this job. These are the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, which created the binding Online Safety Code (OSC), and the Terrorism Content Online Regulation Act (TCOR).  

• Under the DSA, we regulate ISP (intermediary service providers), but also VLOPs (very large online platforms) and VLOSEs (very large online search engines). There is overlap between these online platforms.  
• Under the OSC, we regulate video-sharing platforms based in Ireland such as X, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Udemy, LinkedIn, TikTok, Tumblr and YouTube. 
• Under TCOR, we regulate Hosting Service Providers (HSPs) based in Ireland. The helpful graphic below illustrates this.

What rules and codes are you talking about?  

We write and publish a number of rules and codes. These codes are written with the help of submissions from the public. 

Here are some of them:  

• Broadcasting – Access Rules: These rules ensure the accessibility of services for all users and set out the amount of subtitling, Irish Sign Language (ISL) and audio description that Irish television broadcasters must provide to increase the understanding and enjoyment of television for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, partially sighted or blind.
• Broadcasting: Children Commercial Communications code: These rules deal with advertising, sponsorship and product placement aimed at children and broadcast around children’s programming. For example, it has rules about the promotion of food that is high in fat, sugar or salt to children.
• Broadcasting: Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality: These rules ensure news and current affairs in Ireland are delivered in a fair and impartial way. If you feel presenters are giving their own opinion or they are presenting information in a biased way, you can complain to Coimisiún na Meán.  
• Online Safety Code: This binding code obliges video-sharing platforms in Ireland to make changes in order to reduce the harmful and illegal content that a user may see on video-sharing platforms. This code outlines what harmful content online means. To learn more about this, look at our What is illegal / harmful content page. For more detailed information check out our Online Safety Framework page. You can also read our FAQs for students on what you can and can’t report to Coimisiún na Meán. 

What happens if broadcasters, video-on-demand providers or online platforms break the rules?  

• For broadcasting or video-on-demand content, you should first complain to the broadcaster and say which code or rule you feel they broke.   
• For online content, if you see harmful or illegal content, you should always report it to the platform where you first saw it. If online platforms don’t remove the illegal content or don’t reply to you in a timely way giving you reasons why they are not removing it, you can report this to Coimisiún na Meán. Online platforms should also allow you to appeal their decision. For more information on your rights online, look at the ‘My rights’ section. You can contact the advice centre at Coimisiún na Meán by calling 01-9637755 or emailing [email protected]. 

Can I come to you if I face an issue online?  

Yes, however it is important to note that Coimisiún na Meán doesn’t have the power to immediately take down or force a platform to remove offensive or upsetting content from the internet. Our job is to make sure online platforms are following the rules and have effective reporting functions. Every report or query we get helps us do our job better.

For example, the more we know about how easy (or hard) it is to report on various platforms and how effective these reporting mechanisms are, the better we can do our job to supervise the platforms.

We have regular meetings with various platforms based on reports we get from the public. While we may not be able to solve individual cases or take down content for them, it’s still important to report harmful and illegal content and let us know if platforms might be breaking the rules. We can then work more effectively towards making the internet a better place for everyone.  

Do you do anything else?  

• Coimisiún na Meán has a significant responsibility in supporting the development of the media in Ireland. We have various funding schemes, including the Sound and Vision scheme that media professionals can apply to in order to get money for various media projects they might have.  
• We’re also involved in supporting training for the media industry. We create guidelines like the Gender Equality Diversity Inclusion Strategy to make sure the media in Ireland is an inclusive and diverse place.  
• We licence broadcasting services that operate in Ireland, and some that also operate abroad. We also regulate these services to make sure that they do what they have committed to do and that they are following the rules.