Coimisiún na Meán, the State’s media regulator, has allocated up €7.1 million in funding to broadcasters and independent producers around the country.
The successful applicants include documentaries on the late Irish writer Edna O’Brien, the impact of misinformation in the digital age, as well as a look back on the 2015 marriage equality referendum.
The funding, which is from the Sound & Vision scheme, has been awarded to 84 television and radio projects that include documentaries, dramas and animations, as well as entertainment and educational programming.
Sound & Vision is financed from the Broadcast Fund, which comprises 7 per cent of the annual net receipts from television licence fees. The funding also included €1 million from the Department of Media.
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In keeping with previous rounds of Sound & Vision, demand for the scheme considerably exceeded the available funds with 159 applications received requesting a total of €18.3 million.
About €6.5 million of the latest round of funding will go towards the independent production sector.
Almost 35 per cent of the funding will go to Irish-language or bilingual productions and nearly a quarter of the funding will be allocated to projects aimed at children and young people.
Coimisiún na Meán media development commissioner Rónán Ó Domhnaill said the latest round of funding will “significantly add to the availability of a diverse range of programming for audiences across the country”.
“Sound & Vision continues to be a vital funding source for the independent production sector, particularly for programming that otherwise might not be made,” he said. “This encourages innovation and promotes sustainability within the sector.
“The funding also contributes to gender equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that voices from diverse backgrounds are represented and supported within the industry. Of the 25 successful television projects, 80 per cent involve women in the role of producer.”
Coimisiún na Meán was established in 2023 and replaced the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. As well as regulating broadcast and online platforms, it is responsible for “supporting and developing the Irish media sector”.
Five of the successful applicants
Wordsmith Produced by Padraic Flaherty, this documentary to be broadcast on Clare FM will explore the life, works, and legacy of Irish author Edna O’Brien.
Try! Produced by Pipedream Productions, this programme for broadcast on Virgin Media One will feature four diverse characters who overcome obstacles on and off the pitch on their journey to the Mixed Ability Rugby World Cup in Pamplona in June 2025.
One Sweet Hour Produced by Samson Films, this film to be broadcast on RTÉ will follow an ageing Elvis impersonator who finally faces his demons as he tours the canals of the Midlands by boat with his long-lost, brother, who has recently quit his life in a monastery.
Misinformation Nation Produced by Virgin Media and for broadcast on Virgin Media One this docuseries will explore misinformation in the digital age in Ireland and the impact it is having on society at large.
A Day in May Produced by John Kelleher Media for broadcast on Oireachtas TV, this documentary will reflect on the 10th anniversary of the marriage referendum. Playwright Colin Murphy will revisit a cross-section of the LGBT community that Charlie Bird met with for his book of the same name.
