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Irish Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
TV exec warns against RTÉ ‘back-sliding' on agreed €56m spend in independent sector
That is according to ex-RTÉ board member and TV industry veteran Stuart Switzer, who was commenting on RTÉ Independent Productions Annual Report 2024, which shows that the direct spend to independent production firms last year increased by €2.4m, or 5pc, from €44.95m to €47.37m. When the RTÉ overhead of €1.39m is factored in, the total spend in 2024 was €48.77m. Speaking in his role as chair of the Unscripted Working Group at Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), Mr Switzer said: 'Our industry and political leaders must insist that RTÉ reach their agreed spend – circa €56m in 2025 – with the independent sector which was agreed as part of the exchequer bailout.' He said: 'We must not allow any back-sliding or lack of transparency in this matter.' Mr Switzer served as an independent non-executive director on the RTÉ board from 2010 to 2015 and as an independent producer since 1986 and is now retired from his role at Coco Content, which produces the likes of Room To Improve and First Dates for RTÉ. Other popular RTÉ shows made by external partners include Dancing with the Stars, made by ShinAwiL Mr Switzer said that he expects the new Government Section 487 incentive for the unscripted industry here to come into force towards the end of 2025. He said: 'It is a wonderful opportunity for the unscripted industry in Ireland to develop and emulate the success of our colleagues in the scripted industry, but it must be used as a benefit to the producer to create and develop Intellectual Property (IP), and not end up as another subvention for our domestic broadcasters.' The new RTÉ report shows that television commissions with a value of €30m, representing 62pc of the value of new 2024 television commissions, were awarded to 10 independent production companies. The report states that a further sum of €7.4m, or 15pc, was awarded to a further 10 independent production companies. The report states that in addition to the €48.8m committed by RTÉ to new television commissions in 2024, producers of RTÉ-commissioned programmes attracted funding from other sources and the total value of this additional funding on 2024 contracts was €35m. The report states that the total value of RTÉ independent television programming activities in 2024, inclusive of all third-party funding, was €83.8m.
Irish Independent
09-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Irish TV tax break gets green light from Europe
RTÉ could be a major beneficiary of the €211m scheme, with The Late Late Show among the programmes that should qualify. The commission examined the plan, announced by minister Jack Chambers in last year's Budget, under EU state-aid rules. The aim is to promote the production of unscripted audiovisual programmes with either Irish or European cultural content. The measure will be introduced for a four-year period, backdated to last December and running until December 31, 2028. The aid is in the form of a tax credit of up to 20pc of the production expenditure that happens in Ireland. The maximum support cannot cover more than 16pc of the total cost of production. To be eligible, a programme must have a minimum cost of €250,000, with half of that being spent in Ireland. A 'cultural test', which will be designed by the Government, will be used to ensure that the unscripted productions 'contribute meaningfully to the promotion and expression of Irish or European culture'. Anthony Muldoon, director of strategic policy at Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), said the tax incentive is a 'transformative' investment for Ireland's creative industry. 'It will empower our producers and creators to develop and produce high-quality programmes that resonate with both domestic and international audiences,' he said. Members of SPI had joined together to campaign for the tax credit, forming an Unscripted Working Group, and had co-operated with the Department of Finance and Revenue, as well as with the Department of Arts and Media. Stuart Switzer, chair of the Unscripted Working Group, said he was thrilled that the European Commission had decided to approve the aid package. 'This is a first in Europe, and a recognition that the creative unscripted sector in Ireland has the potential to emulate the success of our scripted colleagues,' he said. 'The challenge will be to ensure the benefits of the incentive are retained within the independent production sector to build companies of scale.' According to an analysis included in the Tax Strategy Group papers last year, spending on unscripted TV productions could increase from about €90m a year to €300m if a tax credit was introduced. It referred to two similar schemes in Europe, operated by Malta and Cyprus. "If introduced, such a relief could have the potential to support additional employment in the sector and increase demand for studio space,' the report said.
