TV3 not interested in new Broadcasting Fund

Elmo

The €18,000,000 that has been set aside for Independent Producers (TV and Radio) will be snubbed by TV3.

TV3 don't not like the terms and conditions surrounding the Fund:-

1. Programmes produced by the fund must be shown during Prime Time
2. The programmes that are produced with the Fund will not count as part of the requirements that TV3 have in relation to there licence. i.e. 25% of Irish TV plus the shows produced by the Fund.

Report in the Sunday Tribune 24.04.05 by Paul O'Kane.

I will try to get the report up here later on in the week.

Elmo.

Mossy Monk

Elmo wrote:

TV3 don't not like the terms and conditions surrounding the Fund:-
1. Programmes produced by the fund must be shown during Prime Time
2. The programmes that are produced with the Fund will not count as part of the requirements that TV3 have in relation to there licence. i.e. 25% of Irish TV plus the shows produced by the Fund.

point 1 would upset the ITV1 programmes they show
point 2 i think is wrong, why shouldnt it count?

Elmo

point 1 would upset the ITV1 programmes they show

God Forbid they disrupt Hell's Kitchen or Celeb Wrestling.

point 2 i think is wrong, why shouldnt it count?

TV3 was set up as an Irish commercial station therefore 25% of its output should be commercial produced Irish TV.

It looks to me like TV3 just don't want to provide any TV during Prime Time.

How could the lose? Free show plus they get advertising revenue for it. I am sure that it would get more viewers then some of the American Crap they Show.

Elmo

TV3 says “not thanks” to state funding

€18m fund for commercial broadcasters is “of no benefit” to independent station

by Paul O'Kane

A new €18m state-sponsored fund that was supposed to make licence fee income available to commercial broadcasters is being snubbed by the state's only independent TV station TV3.

TV3 executives claim that the fund, which will be formally launched in a matter of weeks, is of “absolutely no benefit to the company”.

The rules governing the distribution of the monies from the fund are too narrow, and mean that it makes no sense for a commercial broadcasters such as TV3 to apply, said TV3 chief executive Rick Hetherington.

“There is absolutely no incentive for us to get incolved in this,” he said.

The broadcasting fund, which is open to both television and radio companies, was created under new rules that siphon off 5% of the licence fee into a separate cash pile that can be awarded to any broadcaster in the state that makes programmes that compy with key criteria. Monies began to flow into the fund two years ago and over €18m is waiting to be spent.

Hetherington said that under the proposed system it makes no commercial sense for TV3 to avail of the fund becase any financial contribution it would make in new programming underwritten by the fund would not be counted against its licence quotas. The additional homeproduced output that TV3 would show as a result of using monies from the broadcasting fund would not count either towards the television station's current quotas.

Hetherington also claimed that TV3 would be unable to recoup any of its additional costs through advertising income because of the stipulation that any programmes supported by the fund must be shown in prime time. The programmes must be about “Irish culture, heritage and experience”.

TV3 has indicated that unless the rules are changed it does not intend to seek money from the new fund, which is being administered by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.

Under the rules of the fund, independent production companies can apply for funding only if the have agreed a deal with an Irish broadcaster to air the programme. With TV3 ruling itself out of the fund, some television sources have expressed concern that independent producers will have little option but to cut a deal with state broadcasters RTÉ.

Screen Producers Ireland, which represents the independent film and television sector, has already been critical of the delay in disbursing the cash from the Broadcasting Fund.

Telefís

Elmo wrote:

“absolutely no benefit to the company”.

And what about the benefits offered to the viewer?!

Good God - up till now TV3 have at least made efforts to cloak their distain for their Irish audience - they're not even bothering anymore!

The additional homeproduced output would not count either towards the television station's current quotas.

I fail to see why not - looks like an error to me.
The prime time rule is entirely valid - indeed it seems highly likely this was directed precisely towards the antics of TV3 and their creative interpetation of their licence-controlled remit thus far.

Hetherington also claimed that TV3 would be unable to recoup any of its additional costs through advertising income because of the stipulation that any programmes supported by the fund must be shown in prime time. The programmes must be about “Irish culture, heritage and experience”.

This is utter rubbish - there is no doubt that they with a little innovation and strategic scheduling they could make a success of an Irish production. TV3 have convinced themselves since day one that Irish people want to see nothing other than mediocre American and British output.
Irish people want to see Irish production, as has been proved by countless surveys and audience data.


This is a ridiculous state of affairs - TV3 moaning for years about the licence fee, and about not being able to produce Irish output because of the unfair advantage of RTÉ. Then when a substantial amount of cash is diverted away from the national broadcaster (which in itself is an act suggestive of RTÉ not doing its job), TV3 whinge about the stipulations, and it being of no use to the station!

This response demonstrates in black and white TV3's utter contempt towards the viewing public. It is often hypothetically waved about in arguements in favour of public service broadcasting that commercial television does not deliver public interest and niche programming etc, an arguement often made somewhat redundant by the success of ITV and CH4 in the UK.
But when you see the blatent contemptuous antics of TV3 over here, it is truly extraordinary how they're managing to match exactly the stereotypical disinterested money-grabbing commerical big-gun so much vaunted by PSBers.


TV3 are becoming more pathetic by the day.

BuffyBot

And what about the benefits offered to the viewer?!

You mean, the fraction of viewers that would be attracted by said special interest programs in prime time? Unlike RTE, TV3 don't have that luxury - prime time is their money spinner and replacing big name shows with these productions could easily dent the income they make from that slot.

I fail to see why not - looks like an error to me

Well until we know for sure, all we can do is go by their version and if I was TV3, and this didn't count towards the "home produced" quota I'd probably be a bit annoyed. Again, considering their sacrificing their prime time cash cows for untried and untested special interest programs, should they not press for any benefit? What really annoys me is that people seem to forget that TV3 is a commercial outfit and like any business isn't going to enter into a deal which will be of no benefit to them. The least any business in a situation like this would look for is a trade off.

public interest and niche programming

Whatever about C4 (and then only because of the way it was established), ITV can hardly be considered the bastion of public interest and niche programming. If they could get OFCOM to loosen the regulations, ITV would be perfectly happy to fill the screens with wall-to-wall fluff.

Elmo

ITV can hardly be considered the bastion of public interest and niche programming.

Indeed ITV is continually being dumded down, how ever at least they make programming for there viewers.

In saying that I am happy to see that for a couple of week TV3 will be showing 4 home produced shows outside of News during prime time

A new housing show (which is innovative because it looks at the buyer, have they not heard of House Hunters etc.)
A new sporting show
Popcorn and Go Racing.

Again, considering their sacrificing their prime time cash cows for untried and untested special interest programs, should they not press for any benefit?

I personally don't understand this. They will be providing Prime Time to shows that they don't have to invest any money in and yet they will get a return with advertising revenue. Perhaps i have that stipulation wrong. There are many PBS shows that do a whole lot better then any of the American shows that TV3 currently show.

What really annoys me is that people seem to forget that TV3 is a commercial outfit and like any business isn't going to enter into a deal which will be of no benefit to them.

What really annoys me is that people seem to forget that TV3 invest very little into the Irish economy. They are making a fortune and they employ less then 200 people.

TV3 complain about the 50% of EU broadcasting that they are required to shows????? how can they complain about their top shows?????

IMO when TV3 and the BCI go into talks about the renewal of their contract the BCI should look for 25% irish output outside of News and Sport during primetime plus 30mins of news. And let them show what they like during the day.

That would make 1hr 30mins of programming for every 4 of primetime.

Telefís

I don't agree that putting Irish product on during this time would negate TV3's advertising revenues. Whereas I don't have the figures to hand, I very much doubt that the likes of 'All Saints' etc shovelled in around 9pm attract significant numbers of viewers. Irish output I think, after a bit of establishing time has the potential to do equally well, if not better than the likes of this drivel. On the face of it at least (whatever about they're really saying privately), TV3 aren't even willing to try this out to see how it goes.
They don't want to rock the boat with even the slightest move away from their tried and tested formula.

Which is why I still cannot understand their putting on of the Dunphy Show on a Friday night. Was it just a publicity stunt? With that programme TV3 displayed both ignorance to the viewer as well as poor commercial decision-making - a unique combination for the station. They could have made a real success of that on a Saturday night - even if Dunphy was unwilling to do it, they could've tempted someone else. I was talking to a very big-wig in RTÉ about this - nobody in RTÉ could understand why they didn't take Saturday which was there for the taking. Suffice to say they were laughing with the success of the Late Late that season, and how Dunphy was going down the tubes. And now RTÉ have sauntered in with Tubridy and are laughing all the way to the bank.
So TV3 must always be looked on favourably as a shrewd commerical outfit, where its prime time must be protected from invasive Irish output?!!

Agreed that in their licence renewal greater emphasis ought to be placed on output outside of News, and where it is to be located in the schedule.

Elmo wrote:

There are many PBS shows that do a whole lot better then any of the American shows that TV3 currently show.

Yes - one need only look at Q&A. Albeit established, it attains in the region of 300,000 viewers while often being as dull as dishwater.

You may say that at the end of the day TV3 are a commerical station, but also at the end of the day, they're an Irish station.
Thus far they might as well be a quality version of one of those crappy FTA stations at the bottom of the EPG.