The British Broadcasting Corporation has pledged to increase its financial output to Northern Ireland by the sum between now and 2020, which builds on an existing 2015/16 budget of £53.3m, bringing the total spend to approximately €75.7M.
In tandem with the pledge, its 2015 partnership with Northern Ireland Screen has also been renewed, which to date has led to award-winning series such as ‘Line of Duty’ and ‘The Fall’ starring Jamie Dornan.
The additional funding will increase comedy, drama and factual spending by 50%, while digital service enhancements and content marking historical anniversaries significant to NI will also see an increase in funding.
This follows the announcement in February of this year, in which BBC Scotland was not only said to launch, but further investment of €1.5M in BBC Alba was also pledged. In the context of Irish content, Irish language and talent, both developments are positive.
