Tyrone Productions losses widen further

TELEVISION PRODUCTION company Tyrone Productions, the maker of The All Ireland Talent Show,saw its losses widen to almost €180,000 last year.

Accounts recently filed at the Companies Office show the company’s gross profit fell 24 per cent to €768,212 during the year. However, its administrative expenses fell just 17 per cent, resulting in a €47,000 higher loss for the year.

Tyrone Productions, which is owned by the Riverdance co-creators John McColgan and Moya Doherty, said it expected a return to profitability in 2010 due to “a rationalisation of operations within the company”.

The independent production company had a mixed 2009, beginning the year by receiving an IFTA (Irish Film and Television Awards) award nomination for its co-production Seacht, which was broadcast on TG4 and BBC 2 Northern Ireland. However, in April 2009, its daytime show Seoige, which had run on RTÉ for three years, was not recommissioned by the broadcaster.

The third series of The All Ireland Talent Show, which is hosted by Gráinne Seoige and offers a cash prize of €50,000 to the winner, is running on RTÉ on Sunday evenings.

According to the company’s abridged accounts, Tyrone Productions held just shy of €101,000 in shareholders’ funds as of the end of 2009, down from €281,000 at the end of the previous year.

The remuneration paid to directors came to about €261,000, down from €264,000. Within this, directors’ pay increased over the year but the value of their pension contributions more than halved compared to 2008.

The other directors of Tyrone are its chief executive John McHugh, its managing director Patricia Carroll and Joan Egan.

Other companies owned by Mr McColgan and Ms Doherty include Abhann Productions, the company behind the Irish dancing phenomenon Riverdance, which was profitable in 2009, albeit to a lesser degree than the year before.

Tyrone also produces the audio-visual material that accompanies the Riverdancetours and is a co-producer on the long-running TG4 soap Ros na Rún. In 2009, the company made the documentary Band of Brothers – Scéal na Mulkerrinsand a six-part series The Master's Apprentice.