Latest news with #MGAlba
The Herald Scotland
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Gaelic broadcaster in new funding plea over programme cuts
The broadcaster, which describes its funding outlook as 'extremely challenging' in its new annual report - has suggested its budget is around £10m short of where it should be if it had kept pace with inflation since 2015. Read more: And it has warned that new investment announced by the Scottish Government earlier this year, which increased MG Alba's budget by around £1.4m, to £14.8m, is only a 'one-off' commitment so far. Chair John Morrison described MG Alba's current funding situation as 'extremely challenging.' Sorcha Groundsell starred in the new island crime thriller An t-Eilean. He suggested its funding is around £10m short of where it should be had it kept pace with inflation. Mr Morrison said new investment was also needed to help MG Alba capitalise on a growing shift towards digital viewing on platforms such as YouTube, particularly among younger audiences. He has called for more support to continue making high-quality programmes like island crime thriller An t-Eilean, which was shot on Lewis and Harris with a budget of more than £1 per episode. Mr Morrison said the series had been a 'calculated gamble' for MG Alba has it had used up its entire annual drama budget to invest in the four-part series, which notched up 1.6 million views on the BBC iPlayer after its launch in January. He said although the gamble had paid off, the success of the show, which won two European broadcasting awards last month, had highlighted some of MG Alba's 'most pressing and current challenges. Writing in MG Alba's annual report for 2024-25, he said: 'Linear television continues to be important to us, but most people watched An t-Eilean on the BBC iPlayer, a clear demonstration of the continuing shift to digital viewing. 'The data on digital viewing eclipses anything that is possible on linear TV. The board has been keen to develop and support our policy of Digital First, where content appears other platforms before it appears on our TV channel. 'The reason for this is simple. It is about viewers. More young people watch YouTube in the UK than the combined total of viewing on linear public service TV channels. 'While our viewing figures continue to be healthy – 300,000 people reached every week in Scotland – this number is in a trend of decline and the data is telling us that we are not reaching what we call 'the missing third.' 'Roughly one third of Gaelic speakers do not watch BBC Alba regularly and we believe YouTube and other platforms are a significant part of the solution.' Mr Morrison said MG Alba was hugely appreciated that of an uplift from the Scottish Government, which he said would allow the broadcaster to meet its 'ambitious targets' over the next 12 months. But he added: 'This money is for one year only. To allow MG Alba to develop and grow our impact on screen as well as in the wider economy, we need an assured and growing budget.' MG Alba chief executive Donald Campbell added: 'The number of MG Alba-funded hours of television programmes fell to 325 (in 2024-25) as production costs increased, a fall of 28 per cent over 10 years. 'The decrease in hours is not just the result of financial challenges, but also a consequence of the need for all broadcasters to produce impactful programmes that will stand out from the competition for viewers. 'Such content is usually more expensive, meaning it is not possible to fund as many hours as we would like.'
The Herald Scotland
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
BBC Alba to expand into Gaelic feature film production
A new feature film development fund is being created months after the Scottish Government agreed to put an additional £1.8 million into MG Alba, which operates the Gaelic channel in partnership with the BBC, to 'build on the success' of An t-Eilean (The Island) since the launch of the murder mystery series in January. Read more: MG Alba also wants to emulate the success of Cine4, a groundbreaking Irish language film development scheme, which has produced eight feature films since it was launched in 2017 by broadcaster TG4, Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The Herald can reveal that a second series of An t-Eilean, which starred Sorcha Groundsell, Sagar Radia, Iain Macrae and Meredith Brook, is already in development. The four-part drama, which was commissioned by BBC Alba, was snapped up by international distributors All3Media International before filming had even started in Lewis and Harris, and had a budget of more than £1 million per episode. Sorcha Groundsell starred in the Gaelic drama series An t-Eilean, which was launched in January. The show, which followed an investigation into the murder of the wife of a wealthy islander at their historic mansion, was later acquired by BBC Four and was described as the UK's first major Gaelic language drama when it premiered. An t-Eilean, which was described as a 'game-changer' by BBC Alba when it was commissioned, went on to win two major honours at the European broadcasting awards, Prix CIRCOM, in Barcelona in May. Meredith Brook and Sorcha Groundsell starred in the BBC Alba series An t-Eilean. At the time, Screen Scotland hailed its popularity and recognition as "an incredible vote of confidence in the strength of Gaelic language drama.' The collaboration between BBC Alba and BBC Scotland on the new short-form dramas, which is expected to see successful projects go into production this year, was announced last November. Kate Forbes met BBC Alba staff at the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters in February when she announced additional funding of £1.8m for Gaelic broadcasting. (Image: BBC Alba) The Scottish Government subsequently approved an additional £1.8m for MG Alba, which was announced weeks after the launch of An t-Eilean. At the time, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the show's success "demonstrates how supporting a thriving Gaelic broadcasting sector can bring international interest to Scotland." She added: "This extra funding will enable Gaelic broadcasters to build on existing high-quality content and attract new audiences." The BBC's recently-published annual plan states that BBC Alba will be working with BBC Film to develop feature film ideas. Margaret Cameron, director of content at MG Alba, told The Herald: "We have had really positive discussions so far with BBC Film and Screen Scotland. Everybody is very keen to make it happen. "Off the back of An t-Eilean, this is the next natural step for BBC Alba. It punched through at a level that was just amazing for us and the BBC really got behind it. "We would be crazy if we weren't already considering how to take the next natural step forward from An t-Eilean. "Films can travel even more than TV, they are economic generators and they are also a sign of confidence." Read more: The BBC Alba feature film initiative, which is expected to be backed by BBC Film and the government agency Screen Scotland, will also be promoted at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August. It has been developed after BBC Alba and BBC Scotland joined forces to launch a new two-year partnership worth £800,000 to make new 'digital first' short-form Gaelic dramas aimed at younger viewers. Ms Cameron said: "We are hugely encouraged by what our Irish cousins are doing with the Cine4 feature film development scheme. "It's all about drawing together different partners these days - no-one can do feature film production on their own these days. Everybody has to work in partnership with someone else. "From an absolute zero start, developing a script, getting a film funded and made, and then released you are talking about at least a three-year cycle. "The first stage when we launch this will be a call-out for feature film development ideas. "We will be looking for ideas that are relatable, but also sellable. The thing that we're really keen on is that Gaelic talent is at the heart of it. "The writer must have Gaelic and we will want the majority of the script to be in Gaelic. "If we are very lucky and we have sufficient funding from our partners then we may find we are able to develop more than one film. It would be fantastic to have more than one horse on the field." Glasgow-based Black Camel Pictures, producers of the marine crime drama Annika and queer romance series Float, secured the BBC Alba commission for An t-Eilean, which was written by Nicholas Osborne and Patsi Mackenzie. Ms Cameron said: 'A second series of An t-Eilean is in development. It's looking very positive and we are very confident that something will come from it. "We would love to have another series of An t-Eilean and we have plans for some other new dramas as well."
The National
13-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Over £35 million announced to help promote Gaelic
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said £35.7 million would be invested into initiatives to promote the language in 2025-26, alongside the introduction of the proposed Scottish Languages Bill. Ahead of a visit to Stornoway as she marked one year as Scotland's first Gaelic Secretary, Forbes said: 'The Scottish Government recognises that urgent action is needed to grow the Gaelic language in communities where it is traditionally spoken.' The Scottish Languages Bill — which is still awaiting its third reading in the Scottish Parliament — aims to strengthen support for Gaelic and Scots by requiring national language strategies, enhancing education provisions, setting standards for public authorities and recognising areas of linguistic significance. READ MORE: John Swinney pledges to give Scotland 'option of independence under my leadership' Alongside this multi-million pound investment, additional funding has been allocated to Gaelic projects in the Hebrides. MG Alba (The Gaelic Media Service) will receive a grant of £110,000 to modernise studios used by BBC Alba whilst a Stornoway Gaelic cultural centre, An Taigh Ceilidh (The Ceilidh House), will receive £10,000 to purchase musical instruments and renovate the space. Forbes added: 'This investment will support Gaelic community events in Stornoway and ensure that Gaelic broadcasters can continue to develop high-quality programmes. 'This follows the success of BBC Alba's crime thriller series An t-Eilean (The Island).' The investments have been made available through the 2024-25 Gaelic Capital Fund allocations. Independent research showed MG Alba supports more than 300 jobs in Scotland, including 160 across the Scottish islands.
