RTÉ says it had a deficit of €19.7m last year.

It has blamed this on "external factors", such as the UK's decision to leave the European Union.

Its annual report says: "It was always going to be a challenging financial year" - citing commitments such as 1916 commemorations and the 2016 general election.

But it says the "planned deficit" was made worse by a number of "external shocks".

The report says: "The market has contracted sharply since the June Brexit vote impacting negatively on the year’s financial results".

And it says public funding remained "broadly static" last year, with no improvement in TV licence collections.

Director-General Dee Forbes says: "Much is now at risk. The persistent failure to reform the TV licence system has and is costing jobs across the sector".

The broadcaster had an average of 1,706 full-time employees last year - an increase from the year before, when it only had 1,643.