What can I complain about?

You can complain about a television, radio or on-demand programme that you believe did not comply with statutory standards. Under legislation, broadcasters or video-on-demand platforms must not make available the following:  

• Programmes or commercial communications that cause harm or undue offence. For guidance on what constitutes ‘harm’ or ‘undue offence’ in the context of broadcasting, please see the Code of Programme Standards, below.  
• Programmes that are likely to promote, or incite to, crime  
• Programmes that could be regarded as public provocation to commit a terrorist act
• Programmes that are likely to incite to violence or hatred against people based on protected characteristics like sex, race, ethnicity, language, religion, political views, disability, age and sexual orientation
• Programmes that are likely to undermine the authority of the State 

In regards to television and radio broadcasting, you can also complain about a programme that you believe did not comply with the Code of Programme Standards.

This Code provides for obligations for radio and television broadcasters in the following areas:

• Providing appropriate context for programmes with the potential to offend or cause distress
• Violence, sexual content and offensive language
• Protecting audiences from harmful content 
• Protecting children from harmful content 
• Ensuring respect for persons and groups in society 
• Protecting the public interest 
• Respect for Privacy

For video on-demand services, you can complain if you believe a video-on-demand programme did not comply with the obligations contained in the Media Service Code and Rules (Audiovisual On-demand Media Service Providers).

• This Code requires video-on-demand platforms to take proportionate measures to protect children from harmful content under Section 11 (Harmful content). Content inciting violence, hatred, or provoking terrorist offences is also prohibited.

News or current affairs programmes

News and current affairs programmes must comply with the standards that apply to all programmes (see above) as well as standards that apply to just news and current affairs. You can complain about a news and current affairs programme broadcast on radio or television if you believe it did not comply with these statutory standards.

• News should be presented in an objective and impartial manner, and without any expression of the broadcaster’s or video-on-demand provider’s own views
• Current affairs programmes, including matters of public controversy or current public debate, should be fair to all interests concerned, presented in an objective and impartial manner and without any expression of the broadcaster’s or video-on-demand provider’s own views

These statutory obligations also apply to a subset of video-on-demand providers called “relevant media service providers” in the 2009 Act. ​This subset includes broadcasting contractors and Public Service Broadcasters who operate video-on-demand services.

You can also complain about a news or current affairs programme broadcast on TV or radio that you believe did not comply with the obligations set out in the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs.

This Code does not apply to video-on-demand services.

When you or information about you appears in a programme 

You can complain about a programme that you believe encroached upon your privacy. 

• If you believe this has occurred, you can complain under Section 46K of the Broadcasting Act 2009, or under the Code of Programme Standards or the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs.

You can also complain about a programme that you believe broadcast information that damaged your reputation. 

• If you believe that something factually incorrect was broadcast which caused damage to your honour or reputation, you can request a Right-of-Reply (PDF) from the broadcaster.  
• A Right of Reply provides for the correction of incorrect facts or information; it does not provide for the broadcast of an alternative or contrary opinion. In other words, a person may not be satisfied with the manner in which a broadcaster has relayed information about him/her, but a Right of Reply will not be granted unless the facts or information are factually incorrect and caused damage to you such that your honour or reputation was impugned. 
• The Right-of-Reply scheme only applies to broadcast content and Right-of-Reply requests must be made in writing to the broadcaster in the first instance. 

Advertisement, sponsorship, product placement or teleshopping

You can complain about a commercial communication that you believe was not legal, honest, truthful, decent or did not protect the interests of the audience and/or did not comply with our Commercial Codes: 

General Commercial Communications Code

This Code sets out the standards that apply to commercial communications (i.e. advertising, sponsorship, product placement and teleshopping) broadcast by television and radio broadcasters regulated in Ireland.  

Media Service Code and Rules (Audiovisual On-demand Media Service Providers)

This Code sets out the standards that apply to commercial communications (i.e. advertising, sponsorship and product placement) on video on-demand services registered in Ireland.

Children’s Commercial Communications Code

This Code sets out the standards that apply to television and radio commercial communications that promote products, services, or activities that are deemed to be of interest to children and/or are broadcast during and between children’s programmes. 

Religious or political advertising

You can complain that an advertisement did not comply with statutory requirements around religious or political advertising.

Broadcasters and certain categories of video-on-demand providers are prohibited from allowing advertising that:

• is directed towards a political end or has any relation to an industrial dispute, or 
• addresses the issue of the merits or otherwise of adhering to any religious faith or belief, or of becoming a member of any religion or religious organisation.

The statutory standards in relation to the prohibitions on certain types of advertisement apply to some video-on-demand providers only.

Access services

You can complain about the quantity and quality of access services (subtitling, audio description and Irish Sign Language) provided on television broadcasts if you believe it did not comply with the Access Rules.

Video-on-demand providers are also required to take proportionate measures to ensure that their services are made progressively more accessible to persons with disabilities.

Time devoted to news and current affairs on radio

You can complain if you believe that the total daily time devoted to news and current affairs by licensed radio broadcasters did not comply with the statutory quotas of at least 20 per cent of the broadcasting time of the service, where the Commission has not authorised a derogation from this requirement.

Time devoted to radio and television advertising and teleshopping

You can complain if you believe that the total daily and hourly time devoted to advertising on a radio or television broadcasting services did not comply with time limits in place.

• Advertising on radio broadcasting services should not exceed 15% of the total daily broadcasting time or 12 minutes in any clock hour. Advertising and teleshopping on television broadcasting services should not exceed 20% of the total daily broadcasting time or 12 minutes of advertising in any clock hour.

• The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media may also set the advertising limits for public service radio and television broadcasters such as RTÉ and TG4.

You can also make a complaint about advertising time limits under the Advertising Rules for Radio, below.

You can also complain if you believe a radio or television broadcaster did not comply with other requirements on the placement and transparency of advertising and teleshopping.

Retaining of copies of programme material

Broadcasters and video-on-demand providers are required to retain a copy of all programme material broadcast or made available in a catalogue of a video-on-demand service (as applicable) for a period of time as determined by Coimisiún na Meán. For broadcasters, this period is 90 days.

You can complain if you believe that that a broadcaster or video-on-demand provider has not kept a copy of recordings for the specified time.