There are some questions being asked about the direction of TnaG the national Irish language television service that came on air in October 1996 to provide a comprehensive schedule of Irish Language programming, including a daily news service. The channel is currently broadcasting four and half-hours daily and can be received by 74% of the national audience and on all basic cable packages. The station would appear to be positioning itself outside its initial remit in order to face the realities of the market.
TnaG was set up by the Government at a cost of 16m and receives in excess of 10m from the Exchequer each year toward running costs. It also benefits from the provision of over 360 hours a year of programming from RTE at no extra cost to TnaG, which RTE has costed at 5.6m annually. TnaG also sells airtime for both advertising and sponsorship. The station employs a core staff of only 40 to carry out its key administrative, programme commissioning and acquisition functions as well as providing the technical and presentation skills necessary for a television publisher/broadcaster. The station claims that nearly 300 jobs are sustained, mainly in the independent production and post-production sectors, by the station. In April 1998 TnaG's daily audience reach was averaging 340,000 viewers up from 167,500 in 1996/97, this represents a 1% audience share, with a 4% primetime share according to the Nielson system (the official TV audience measure in Ireland). Although the station is gaining a greater audience share slowly but surely the ratings compiled by AC Nielson, show that only three of the stations most popular 35 programmes were in Irish. The most popular screenings repeats of old football matches, All Ireland Gold, a series of GAA games from the archives of RTE with English commentaries, with World Cup Gold and Reruns of a Candid Camera type show also featuring highly. TnaG argues that it is a national station and provides a service to an audience in which only a percentage are fluent Irish speakers and English speaking programmes will obviously receive higher audience share.
The station is now making the same programme in both Irish and English versions with a view to selling more products on and increasing revenue. To date TnaG has achieved the following sales:
Ros na Run, sold in Scotland, Wales and USA. C.U. Burn, has been sold in Wales. Draiocht, a one hour drama written by and starring Gabriel Byrne, has been sold in Australia. Spastoireacht sold in Finland. Barabbas sold in Spain and South Africa. Sult in the USA. An Bealach o Dheas to the Travel Channel. All of TnaGs' sales are handled by Network Ireland Television
The crux of the problem is clearly stated ' in TnaGs own commercial activities information - "the setting up of TnaG has presented many challenges and none more so than in establishing the channel as a commercial entity".... and "comes at a time when there is much debate internationally on audience fragmentation brought about not only through an increase in cable and satellite channels but also with the impending launch of a new digital terrestrial and satellite services". TnaG does seem to be taking a more pragmatic view to providing a niche service by providing a backbone of Irish language programmes often subtitled in English and a good deal of English language programmes in order to have a wider appeal. The question that are being asked are mainly in relation to its funding from the government as a Irish Language station and how far can they push the line before it is cut off altogether. One piece of good news is that viewing in the Dublin area has increased considerably since Cablelink clamped down on landlords, and flat dwellers, they will only strike a deal now for the whole building forcing most flat dwellers to turn to TnaG as some alternative to RTE for the occasional B movie and documentary.
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