Granting Multi-Year Funding to TG4 is recommended by the Oireachtas Committee
TG4 and RTE Welcome Oireachtas Committee Recommendations for Multi-Year Funding and Editorial Control
In a significant development for Irish broadcasting, the joint Oireachtas media committee has published a report with recommendations that could reshape the landscape. The report, published on Wednesday, includes proposals that could transfer editorial control of TG4's news service from RTE and provide TG4 with multi-year funding, among other recommendations.
TG4 has welcomed the recommendations, with their spokeswoman stating that they are pleased that many of the points raised in their submission are reflected in the report's 85 recommendations. The national broadcaster, which currently supplies Nuacht TG4 to the Irish language broadcaster despite the service being largely produced in TG4's Connemara studios, has long called for multi-year funding, as it currently receives an annual allocation in the budget.
RTE, on the other hand, has also expressed support for the recommendations. Their spokesman stated that the broadcaster is supportive of the Future of Media Commission's (FOMC) recommendation from 2021, which suggested that TG4 should have editorial control over its news output. RTE broadly welcomes all of the committee's recommendations, according to the spokesman.
One of the key recommendations is the transfer of editorial control of Nuacht to TG4. The joint Oireachtas media committee has recommended that TG4 should gain editorial control of its news service from RTE. This recommendation aligns with the FOMC's 2021 recommendation.
The committee has also proposed providing TG4 with interim multi-year funding packages, even if there are delays in the passage or enactment of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill. This move is aimed at ensuring predictable and adequate funding for TG4, as required by the European Media Freedom Act.
However, not all recommendations have been met with universal approval. Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) is concerned about the committee's suggestion that the requirement for RTE to spend 25% of its public funding on outside productions could be deferred. Any postponement of this increased commissioning measure could mean tens of millions of euro not reaching the independent sector, according to SPI.
The committee has also recommended that increased independent commissioning be "subject to strict public procurement rules". Any deferral in the enactment of the increased commissioning target should be "strictly timebound", according to the committee.
The exact parties involved in the proposal to grant TG4 an interim multi-annual funding package cannot be identified from the available information, as the joint Oireachtas media committee consists of members from multiple parties, but specific parties are not listed in the provided search results.
The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, which will give effect to the European Media Freedom Act, is expected to have a profound impact on Irish broadcasting. The recommendations made by the Oireachtas committee will likely shape the future of broadcasting in Ireland.
