The IFTA Gala Television Awards ceremony will take place on October 22nd at the Double Tree Hotel in Dublin and will celebrate and recognise the very best of Irish creative talent and Irish home-grown TV programming within 23 categories from entertainment, soap & comedy to factual, current affairs and news across all of the Irish broadcasters RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TV3, 3e, TG4, Sky, UTV and BBC Northern Ireland. The Awards will be broadcast on TV3 on Sunday 25th October.
Irish Broadcasters Miriam O’Callaghan RTÉ, Martin King TV3,, Alison Comyn UTV ,and Tristen Rosenstock from TG4, were on hand to mark the count-down to the annual Awards that will showcase the very best of Irish programmes, shows and formats and also acknowledge the great achievements of the creative and business talent within the Television community here in Ireland.
Earlier this year the Academy split the larger annual Awards into two separate events similar to other countries, and in keeping with best international practice. The separation into two distinct ceremonies has proved very successful and reflects Ireland’s rapidly growing and vibrant film & television industry that is delivering high quality formats and programming on par with the best in the world with submissions increasing by 25% this year alone.
Aine Moriarty, CEO of Irish Film & Television Academy says: “The Academy is delighted to announce Gala as the Headline Sponsor for the Television Awards for the next three years. Gala is a great Irish brand that is all about community, Irish innovation and quality, which are all qualities that reflect the great achievements of this vibrant and growing Irish industry and Irish creative talent and we welcome Gala’s support for the work of the Academy”.
Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail says: “As an Irish brand that always strives for excellence within our stores, Gala is thrilled to become the first-ever headline sponsor for the IFTA Gala Television Awards. Irish programme-makers and Irish creative talent are truly raising the bar in delivering high quality TV programmes to Irish audiences that are compelling, engaging and entertaining. Gala is proud to support the Academy in showcasing and highlighting these achievements and rewarding excellence in Ireland, and through the Gala People’s Choice Award we will be offering our shoppers and public the chance to vote for their favourite TV programme”
Lynda McQuaid, TV3 Group Director of Content, says: “Following on from the IFTA Awards Special that was broadcast on TV3 earlier this year, we look forward very much to hosting the IFTA Gala Television Awards this October and celebrating the best in Irish TV talent.”
For the past twelve years since 2003, the Irish Film & Television Academy has showcased the very best of Irish creative talent to the world at large, building a national pride and international awareness of Ireland’s small but very talented and growing industry, with the home audience building to a record viewership of 1.24 million peak viewers in 2013.
Over the coming weeks the Academy will announce further details including the 2015 IFTA Television Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; the IFTA Gala People’s Choice Award categories; and the Awards Ceremony Host and Guest Presenters.
The IFTA Gala Television Awards will present the following categories:
- Lifetime Television Award
- People’s Choice – Gala TV Show of the Year
- Comedy (Scripted & Sketch)
- Current Affairs
- Documentary Series
- Documentary Single
- Entertainment
- Factual
- Live Event
- News
- Reality & Constructed Factual
- Soap & Continuing Drama NEW
- Specialist Factual
- Sports
- Animation – Children’s & Young People’s
- Children’s – Live Action
- Young People’s – Live Action
- Irish Language
- Female Performance (in a Soap or Comedy)
- Male Performance (in a Soap or Comedy)
- Director – Soap & Continuing Drama and Comedy
- Director – Television
- Camera – Television
- Editing – Television
- Sound – Television
- Writer - Soap & Continuing Drama and Comedy
For more information, go to www.ifta.ie.
