On Thursday, RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes said that the station had “asked the broadcaster if it can add the channel to its line-up. A representative of the DOC said that the BAI was assessing the application.

“It is a no-brainer,” one TV insider told Hot Press. “There are costs involved, but they’re relatively small, and people do a lot of viewing on +1 channels. There is no doubt that RTÉ’s viewership figures for programmes like Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope will improve. The only question is by just how much? And what will it add to RTÉ’s revenue-generating capability? But, unless there’s a sharp downturn, it is a win-win situation for them."