Ms Libbie McQuillan:

I thank the Chair and members for inviting us here today. Screen Ireland is the national agency for the development of feature film, television drama, animation, documentary and digital games industries. It has a dual remit, namely develop the domestic sector supporting the expression of Irish culture on screen and responsibility for attracting international production to Ireland.

Screen Ireland is a creative partner to the sector, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise. In 2024, the creative screen industries generated a gross value added, GVA, to the Irish economy of €1 billion. We are inspired by original Irish storytelling that will connect with audiences at home and abroad.

Screen Ireland supports the sector at every stage through a wide range of practical funding supports across development, production, distribution, promotion and skills. Our vision for the industry is outlined in our five-year creative strategy, Fís Athnuaite – A Renewed Vision 2025 – 2029. A key priority of the new strategy is to support the development of Irish television. We invest in and support the development and production of scripted series, documentary drama, documentary series and animated series. We also support the television industry structurally through skills development and our broader range of sectoral schemes.

Screen Ireland has key partnerships on individual talent schemes with each of the Irish broadcasters. With TG4, we have helped stimulate and capitalise on a new era for Irish-language film and television. We also work closely with Coimisiún na Meán across many key areas of media development. We collaborate with international broadcasters and major global streaming platforms. Through these partnerships, and in a relatively short space of time, we have developed a significant slate of Irish TV drama and invested heavily in animation and documentary production. In this capacity, Screen Ireland welcomes the opportunity to meet with this committee on the revised general scheme of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill.

Screen Ireland fully supports strong, independent, appropriately resourced, public service media and content providers. The health and success of our public service media ecology is crucial to delivering positive societal, cultural and economic outcomes for our country. Screen Ireland welcomes the requirement to increase the level of RTÉ's independent funding account. This mechanism is comparable with ring-fenced independent quota obligations on public service media in other territories, which has proved successful.

Ireland has a particularly strong independent sector that is going from strength to strength. The increased requirement of the independent funding accounts should promote high-quality creative competition with suppliers so that the best ideas reach audiences domestically and internationally. Creating further opportunity for the independent sector will likely yield strong on-screen results and further increase the sustainability of Ireland's screen sector.

Screen Ireland is a creative agency working closely with all of the major US studios and streamers and many European media service providers. The underlying strength, quality and reputation of Irish creative talent, entrepreneurship and intellectual property has helped Ireland attract large-scale investment and ensured international exposure to Irish voices, culture and talent.

Screen Ireland funding, alongside the competitive fiscal incentives, have proved to be a critical driver for the growth and success of the screen industry to date. The ongoing development, production and circulation of European works, both film and television, is vital to European cultural diversity. European co-production is essential for the sustainability of many Irish independent production companies, with 76% of Irish television dramas between 2021 and 2024 co-produced with European and UK broadcasters. The continued partnership between Coimisiún na Meán and Screen Ireland is important in this regard for the strategic development of the audiovisual sector.

Screen Ireland plays a crucial role in fostering talent, facilitating collaboration, and promoting innovation helping drive economic growth, job creation, and cultural development in Ireland's thriving screen sector. Screen Ireland's priority is to continue building on the incredible commercial and critical success of the Irish screen industry and to drive an ambitious vision into the future. We look forward to answering any questions the members of the committee might have.