The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has announced details of the latest package of recommendations under the Sound & Vision Scheme which have been ratified by the Authority at its most recent meeting on the 15th of December.
Following a detailed assessment process, funding amounting to €5.569m has been allocated to 126 projects. Of this, €5.019m has been allocated to 30 TV projects, while 96 radio projects will benefit to the value of €550,000.
Some 230 applications for funding were received in this round of the scheme, seeking funding of €19.396m. Over the five rounds operated over the last two years, the BAI has processed 1,315 funding applications with a total funding requested of €119.5m.
As with previous rounds, documentary is the most supported format with 62 radio documentary projects being supported and 15 TV documentary projects sharing funding of €2.06m. Drama continues to be the second most supported format with 17 radio and nine TV projects sharing funding of just over €1.7m. Additionally, 15 Entertainment projects have been allocated a total of €1.022m, along with nine Education and one Animation project allocated a total of €464,000 and €300,000, respectively.
Some notable projects supported in the current round include:
* TV documentaries, including a programme on the relationship between The Ford Motor Company and Cork, 100 years after the factory was founded there; a documentary on the ‘Voting Age’ on RTÉ One which will explore how television would have covered the 1918 general election and a programme for TG4 about musician Noel Hill and the challenges he faced when he decided to move to Connemara.
* Radio documentaries across public, commercial and community channels include a six part series on wildlife in Kildare today for KFM, a feature on the sinking of the SS Connemara in Carlingford Lough in 1916 on Dundalk FM and a programme on the life of Clare man, JP Holland who invented the submarine for Radio Corca Baiscinn.
* The drama package includes a third series of the hugely successful Red Rock on TV3, a feature on the popular TV comedy series ‘Damo and Ivor’ and a 25 part radio series ‘Cuan Slán’ which will be broadcast on Cork Christian station, Life FM.
* Ten entertainment projects for TV and five for radio will receive funding including a generational take on the very successful ‘High Hopes Choir’ called ‘Age Gap Choir to be broadcast on RTÉ 1 and ‘Sunday at Noon’ for Near FM which will feature traditional and contemporary concerts from the Hugh Lane Gallery.
Commenting on the announcement, Michael O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the BAI, said: “Since the launch of the Broadcasting Funding Scheme, Sound & Vision 3, in early 2015, €27m has been allocated across five rounds to support 586 projects. Overall, this is more than €3 above the indicative allocation in January 2015 and we are pleased that the increase was made possible by the careful management of the BAI’s funding supports and initiatives.
‘‘The scheme continues to provide strong support for documentary and drama production. Within these genres, the variety continues to improve but History/Heritage remains to the fore. Notably, there is an increase in the Science/Nature/Environment genre, especially in the radio sector which is welcome.
‘‘The package of awards is of a very high quality and caters to a variety of audiences and provides significant diversity of content and language.’’
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Download Sound & Vision 3 - Round 27 Successful Applicants
