TG4 to launch new dedicated children's channel
For Culture, Channel The Gaeltacht New And The Children's Catherine Budget At Sport Tourism, Conference Martin Press Arts, Minister A Media Announced Post
Irish-language broadcaster TG4 is to launch a new children's channel.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht Sport and Media Catherine Martin made the announcement at her department's post- Budget press conference in Dublin.
The budget saw TG4 receive its largest ever increase in funding, allowing it to launch a new dedicated children's channel, Cúla4. The minister said the move "builds on the success of existing Cúla4 programming, BLOC and Molscéal".
The new channel will include a children’s news service, entertainment, education content, drama, and Irish animation, and will "reflect the diverse backgrounds of children living in all parts of Ireland, but particularly in Gaeltacht and Irish speaking communities".
Ms Martin said that her department's €130m budget for the arts marked "how far the country had come since Covid". She said that this time last year nightclubs and music venues were largely closed and that the recovery in the sector was heartening to see.
She rejected the idea that there had been little in the Budget for artists, saying that she had secured the funding of the sector which had been made available during Covid on a long-term basis.
"I managed to hold on to that record level €130m funding for the arts. If you go back to 5 years ago in 2017, that was €65m. I've held on to it which is really critical. There's €6m in the nighttime economy, and another €7.5m for art studios. And I think you have to look at where we were this time last year. So there was €50m in last year's budget for example, for Covid supports for live performances. Thankfully tonight we can go out with venues at full capacity. But what I've done is held on to that funding."
The department budget includes:
- €35m for pilot Basic Income for the Arts scheme;
- €2m funding increase for Culture Ireland for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide;
- New €7m capital funds for artists’ spaces, and for climate adaptation measures;
- Additional €8.5m to support the Irish language and the Gaeltacht;
- Additional funding to Sport Ireland of €8m – to support high-level performance sport, develop a new coaching fund, grow participation at all levels, and deliver the first-ever national swimming strategy;
- €7.5m to enable Coimisiún na Meán commence its work of online safety and media regulation;
- €6m for new Media Fund’s Courts and Local Democracy Reporting Schemes as part of wider support package for local, regional and national media and journalism.
Ms Martin said that the tourism industry will see €15m additional funding for Fáilte Ireland initiatives, including support for domestic festivals and marketing; Digital Transformation; a College Football strategy to turn the College Football Classic game into a yearly event with a further €15m allocated to marketing Ireland overseas as a destination, and the development of the Invitation project.