Mr. Alan Esslemont:

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Labhróidh mé i mBéarla ach ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil i dtosach le cléireach an choiste a labhair liom agus a rinne comhfhreagras i nGaeilge liom. Tá an-mholadh tuillte ag an gcoiste mar gheall air sin.

I hope members understand my English. This year of Covid has been a year of yearning, disorientation and grief. However, it has also been a year of outstanding deeds of humanity and public service. In our own audiovisual industry, I pay tribute to TG4’s in-house staff and to all the independent producers who partner with us. However, I do not believe that public service broadcasting is delivered solely by the publicly owned broadcasters. Ireland’s commercially owned media, Virgin Media, national radio, and especially local and community radio have indeed provided an excellent public service during this Covid crisis.

TG4 believes that a diversity and plurality of voices, views and sources should be available in the indigenous Irish media. The diagram in my submission suggests how this might be achieved through a mix of the public broadcasters, TG4 and RTÉ; and the public contestable funds, that is, BAI's sound and vision scheme and Screen Ireland’s various schemes. These public contestable funds could ensure the presence of public service media on commercially owned broadcast platforms, including radio.

The Irish audiovisual structure remains much the same as before the Broadcasting Act 2009, largely based in Dublin and with the monolithic presence of a single broadcaster-producer. The independent production sector in Ireland is currently in a difficult situation and the sector is highly centralised around Dublin.

As we emerge from Covid, TG4 is proposing a reimagined balance in the public funding of the sector. TG4 believes RTÉ should have the public funding required to meet its obligations but that an equivalent amount of public funding should be shared between TG4, Screen Ireland and the BAI sound and vision scheme. The effect of this would be to promote diversity and plurality in the sector, promote balance in the public audiovisual ecosystem and improve parity in its regional layout. TG4 is of the opinion that the issue of balance of scale and reform of the monolithic audiovisual infrastructure is the biggest challenge facing the public media ecosystem in Ireland.

The biggest challenge facing TG4 in the coming years will be achieving first-class national scale to allow it to play a role of significant prominence in Ireland’s media ecosystem and to create meaningful resonance in Irish society. TG4 partners widely with associations in the fields of tourism, culture, arts, sport and the Irish language. The organisation can contribute hugely to the public purposes which form the work of this committee. I look forward to collaborating with the committee over the coming years to achieve some of these objectives.