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President Mary Robinson visits Ray, Zig and Zag and Dustin on The Den in 1990. Twitter/RTÉ Archives
End of an era

RTÉ is to stop making TV shows for young people

Instead, the national broadcaster will rely on the independent sector.

RTÉ HAS CONFIRMED that it will no longer produce any programming for young people.

Instead, the national broadcaster has said that it will commission all of its content geared towards young people from the independent sector.

RTÉ has previously developed its young people’s programming both internally and from independent TV makers but now says that a “challenging financial environment” means that is to change.

“So as to achieve stronger efficiencies and value for money, RTÉ is to make changes to how it produces young people’s programmes,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

After an examination of all output, a decision has been made to commission all young people’s programmes from the independent sector, enabling RTÉ to meet its statutory committed spend in the sector and reducing operating costs internally.

“RTÉ is not reducing its commitment to young people’s programmes, nor is it reducing spend,” the broadcaster added.

RTÉ says it is “fully committed” to delivering original Irish content to young people but that this will not be made within Montrose:

This decision means that RTÉ is now fully investing its young people’s programme budget in the independent sector, allowing independent production companies and animation companies to pitch new ideas and programmes for delivery to our youngest viewers.

Read: ‘One broadcaster owning everything isn’t realistic’ – Ryle Nugent on RTÉ Sport and a competitive market >

Read: Novelist Lee Child and Ryan Tubridy offer support as Gay Byrne prepares to fight cancer >

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