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THERE IS A stark imbalance between TV content that is made outside Ireland and content that is home grown, said the Broadcasting Authority’s Chairperson Bob Collins.
Speaking yesterday at the launch of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s (BAI) public consultation on its strategy for the next three years, he said that in recent years there has been a “remarkable growth in the number of channels accessible to Irish audiences and that this has created an imbalance in how much Irish-made programming is being consumed by the Irish audience”.
He added that relevant Irish content for Irish audiences must have a central place in the future of broadcasting.
Diversity
He said that it is important that Irish audiences have access to diversity in Irish programming.
Collins said it was an “undesirable shift” to have domestic TV content marginalised stating that it was important that the lives and values of “the people who live on this island” are represented.
He said that while there has been an increase in external channels being watched by Irish audiences, he said this was not “a threat” but that these channels, producers, distributors of foreign content have no commitment to representing the Irish audience and have no obligation to invest in Ireland.
“There is a risk that Irish-made content could become marginalised in Irish peoples’ lives, we have to be aware that this might happen,” he said.
High quality Irish content
One of the objectives in the new strategy is to “develop and implement schemes to support the production of high quality Irish content that add to the diversity of programming available to audiences in the state”.
Collins added that the BAI was committed to “stimulating and encouraging good journalism” and also to encourage Irish-made programme content of good quality, which is what their aim is over the next three years.
When asked if encouraging Irish-made programming would feature distributing some of the licence fee to other broadcasters, such as TV3, to produce Irish made programmes, Bob Collins said that the review the BAI did into public funding and public service broadcasting did not propose any change in the distribution of the licence fee.
Supporting broadcasters
He added: “We want to look to the positive. We are committed to the notion that broadcasters should be supported – both publicly funded broadcasters and independent broadcasters.”
In the BAI’s review of public funding, they recommended a number of changes in regards to RTE, such as further cost reductions in RTE, the cost of in house and independent production and advertising.
When put to the him that the Department of Communications, Energy and National Resources had largely ignored the BAI’s recommendations he said he did not think the rebalancing they had suggested had been rejected. He said:
We will continue to discharge responsibility as actively as we can, but there will always be tensions between regulators and broadcasters and between the government and regulators.
The BAI’s draft strategy is now available to view online on the BAI Future website. Submissions from the public are welcome and encouraged.
One Quango extolling the value of another Quango.
Here’s an idea for Irish Programming.
1. A film about the Irish Famine, mass forced emigration, and bailiffs evicting people from their homes. Set in 2013.
2. A Goodfellas II. A fly on the wall documentary following county councillors as the descend on every business on every high street saying “Fcuk you. Pay me. You can’t afford it? Fcuk you. Pay me”
Blockbusters in the making
Agreed.
Really he should retrospectively apologise for the last ten years of Fair City
And all programs related to keeping westlife in our faces
The quality of Irish produced TV content will lead to Irish produced TV content becoming marginalised. It isn’t access to other content thats is the issue, its the relevance of the Irish content to Irish viewers. If it was the states half the shows on RTE would have been axed at this point.
I hope They’re not talking about Fair city.represents Irish society and is of high quality shouldn’t be used in the same sentience as that show
Spot on,
ALOT of rte’s content have the production values of a 4th year secondary school project,
Why not write to pat.Rabbit@oireachras.ie and tell him if you think his household internet tax is a bad idea and supports RTE inflicting their utter rubbish on us while laughing all the way to the bank.
Even better, why not spell his email address correctly?
Fair City is a provincial tv show and totally irrevelent and of no interest to most people in this country.
I have no interest in funding more of the same diddley-eye crap that RTÉ continually produce.
The best Irish interest TV has been funded and produced by overseas companies (Father Ted, Moone Boy, Mrs Brown).
‘There is a risk that Irish-made TV content could become marginalised’
Would that have anything to do with it being crap?
Who do they expect to fund this venture?
Is this a new way of asking for more money from tax payers?
It’s a new magic tax, like car tax and social insurance. The government have nothing to do with ISPs or streaming TV as these are run by international private sector companies. But they somehow think it’s perfectly fair to tax this! So what do get in return for this magic tax? F@@king nothing.
Any chance of all these quangos been marginalised these cretins blowing there trumpet now to make themselves look important to try to justify the new stealth tax on people who do not watch there meaningless drivel
How about some honest documentaries about whats going on in this country, exploring what people think is wrong at at the moment. Oh wait no that would lead into RTE doing a documentary looking at their own costs.
Would not a programme from Clonskeagh on the “new Irish” and their efforts to blend with the rest of the population be appropriate?
But look at the quality that TV3 produce…. no wait…
Yeah that Xpose shit they churn out 5 days a week. A load of D4 women talking shite for 30 mins is all we need after a days work.
The only Irish programme worth watching is “reeling in the years”. It shows year by year how we arrived where we are today. How much have we spent going digital only to get 7 out of 200 possible stations. Could we not at least have a movie channel without adds that at least would be worth 160 euros a year. Why can’t every county have its own station, just like local radio. Then Bob Collins could say that Irish broadcasting offers something that outside broadcasting channels can’t. Watching local councillors debate local issues would offer better viewing then the constant soups both foreign and domestic that fills our airwaves at present. since it’s foundation the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has failed, it is guilty of misinforming the public. We really need a few whistle blowers to come forward to prove what everyone already knows.
What this really says to me is that the boys at the top of irish film production are losing out to all the foreign content and feel the only way to survive is get more money off the public and still produce sub standard that rarely makes it outside of Ireland.
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