TG4 is set to be granted independence from RTÉ after consultants were hired to develop an implementation plan.
The Irish language station currently operates under RTÉ control and is supplied with 365 hours of free programming by the public broadcaster.
Communications, Marine and Natural resources Minister Noel Dempsey said he was committed to granting TG4 independence.
“On a recent visit to TG4, I saw at first hand the organisation at work. Less than nine years into its existence, TG4 is widely acknowledged as a success.
It has won prestigious prizes and awards at national and international level.”
The Government has appointed the Deloitte and Touche firm as consultants to draw up a plan for the break-up.
Under the Broadcasting Act 2001, it has the power to transfer the assets of TG4 to a new public corporation independent of RTÉ, called Teilifís na Gaeilge.
However, RTE has expressed concerns that TG4 is underestimating the cost of independence. It puts the value of the programming and services it provides to the channel at €73 million.
The consultants will have to examine if extra funding for TG4 should be put in place to compensate for this.
TG4 began broadcasting from its headquarters in Baile na hAbhann in Galway in 1996 and now has a daily audience of around 100,000 people.
It invests over €15m annually in original programming from the independent production sector and
has won the rights to broadcast live coverage of Wimbledon, the Tour de France and even the Dáil debates.