MEDIA & MARKETING:Falling ad revenues mean the station is keenly pursuing grants for home productions, writes SIOBHÁN O'CONNELL
TV3 IS trying harder to beef up its indigenous programme content with home-produced documentaries and entertainment. Next week, the station's first reality TV show goes on air, to find a new presenter for its showbiz news programme, Xposé.
But while TV3’s audience ratings are improving, its advertising revenue is falling and the station appears to be on a collision course with the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland over the way the BCI is handing out grants for independent productions.
Most of the independent productions broadcast on Irish television are part or wholly funded by the €15.5 million in grants administered by the BCI. The money for the fund comes from the €200 million in television licence fees collected by An Post for RTÉ each year.
In its most recent round of BCI funding in May 2009, TV3 sought 26 commissions valued at €7 million.
The BCI gave the go ahead for three programmes on TV3 and the total amount of funding allocated was €1 million. Fifteen ideas were put forward for broadcast on RTÉ, of which six were successful and €1.1 million was allocated by the BCI. TG4 secured €1.6 million in funding for seven projects.
To date the commission has allocated €45 million to the television sector in previous rounds of funding. Of that, RTÉ got more than €15 million, TG4 more than €18 million, and TV3 just over €5 million.
TV3 chief executive David McRedmond said: “The monies we have secured from the BCI is less than half the reduction in government advertising on TV3 in the first half of 2009. The decision-making process is opaque and overall to date we have secured only 15 per cent of the fund. Our audience share is about 27 per cent. Not only should we be getting our share of audience, we should be getting way above that.
“The fund was never intended to go back to RTÉ. In the last round, 40 per cent of the fund went to TG4 and you just wonder what is the sense in that. TG4 is already getting €30 million from the Government and we don’t get a cent. It can break your heart being an independent broadcaster in Ireland.”
Two years ago, the output of Irish-produced programming on TV3 was less than 25 per cent, and that was largely made up of news bulletins and the three-hour daily breakfast show, Ireland AM.Now the home-produced content is up to 35 per cent, with shows such as XPosé, Nightly News with Vincent Browne, and two new morning chatshows, The Morning Showand Midday. At the same time, McRedmond axed the late evening Sports Tonightshow and a weekly politics show.
Dirty Money, a six-part crime series presented by crime journalist Paul Williams, was the station's highest-rated show last winter. In-house documentaries about Roy Keane, Madeleine McCann, crime and residential institutions also signalled a determination by TV3 to go toe-to-toe with RTÉ.
Says McRedmond: “We are trying to make topical programmes about the big news stories that interest people. Acquired programming is very popular and it’s very good and you need to have it. But the future for Irish broadcasters depends on producing good Irish content.”
According to analysis by ad agency MCM Communications, eight of TV3’s top 30 programmes this year have been home produced.
Paul McCabe, MCM's media director, observed: "Indigenous programming tends to attract the more elusive upmarket viewers that advertisers want. By broadening the reach and offering of its programming, TV3 can reach a better class of audience and charge an advertising premium. Dirty Moneyand Lawlessare the kind of programmes I want my advertisers to be in. That's appointment-to-view television."
Coming up in TV3’s autumn schedule are documentaries about Irish emigrants in London in the 1950s, another series on crime in Irish cities as well as the return of The Apprentice.
McRedmond says the station is now diverting money from its overseas acquisitions budget to fund the home productions.
“We like what the BCI are doing and they have done a great job of the fund,” he said. “But we can’t keep delivering if we get pushed back. This is a job for the Minister for Communications to change the policy.”
