New Report Seeks to Unlock the Potential of the Irish Audiovisual Economy To Create 5000 New Jobs and Double Turnover to €1 Billion
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan T.D has today welcomed a new report of the future of the audiovisual industry. The report which is entitled CREATIVE CAPITAL, identifies the Irish audiovisual sector as a pillar of Ireland’s creative industries and a major opportunity to deliver growth and jobs to the Irish economy over the next five years.
The Report, published today, sets out a comprehensive set of recommendations which aim to double the turnover of the Irish audiovisual industry from €500 million to a €1 billion, to double jobs in the sector from 5,000 to 10,000 jobs and to increase exports for the sector.
Minister Deenihan also announced today that the Government had approved the formation of a new inter-departmental committee with representatives from the Departments of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Communications, Energy and National Resources, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Finance, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and a number of industry representatives, which will examine the feasibility of implementing the recommendations in the report.
Commenting on the report Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan said "The Irish audiovisual sector possesses world-class talent and this report is key to unlocking its potential. The coherent interdepartmental collaboration between, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform along with the industry itself, will be central to the success of achieving sustainable growth for the sector and the skills to build a sustainable export market."
Brendan Tuohy, Chairman of the Steering Group for the Audiovisual Industry Strategic Review which published the report, said "The recommendations in this report are the blueprint for the creation of 5,000 new, highly skilled jobs in the audiovisual industries. The ingredients for achieving international growth in the Irish audiovisual sector are in place and ready to be harnessed. The international audiovisual marketplace is valued at €30 trillion with an increasing global demand for content. This report contains a series of recommendations that, if implemented in a timely manner by the Government and Irish-based audiovisual companies, has the potential to transform the Irish audiovisual industry and to exploit the international marketplace for maximum benefit to the Irish economy."
The 2008/9 PriceWaterhouseCoopers landmark survey ‘Ireland’s Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review’ revealed that over the previous decade, the Irish audiovisual industry had achieved a critical mass and is now poised for major growth as a key sector in the digital economy. Utilising the evidence of the PWC survey, which highlighted the value of the industry at €500 million employing over 5,000 individuals, an Audiovisual Strategic Review Steering Group was chaired by former Secretary General of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Brendan Tuohy, with representatives from the Departments of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Communications, Energy and National Resources and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, together with a range of leading industry stakeholders.
The aim of the Steering Group was to consult with the audiovisual content production industry and its major stakeholders in order to deliver a plan to build on the success to date and to stimulate future growth, primarily into international markets.
The key recommendations in the report, which aim at maximising the sustainability and employment potential of the industry, are achievable and are designed to be cost neutral. The key recommendations in the report are as follows:
1. To develop the industry through ensuring continuous domestic and international production in Ireland and build strong Irish based companies competing successfully in international markets.
2. To develop the export potential of the industry through a strategic plan prepared by Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland, which should include measured metrics for cultural exports as well as economic ones.
3. To develop high-end skills and talent through training and education based on up to date industry requirements and on the ground feedback from practitioners. To plan for future skills requirements for the industry working with third level education, industry training bodies and Forfás on their ‘Future Skills Needs’ plan.
4. To build a strong domestic production industry through increasing domestic demand for content and creating a Memorandum of Understanding between content producers and public sector broadcasters.
5. To mobilise Government and the industry to work together through the alignment of relevant government agencies and industry bodies to develop a national policy to achieve specific industry targets.
A new inter-departmental committee will be established in the coming months to examine the delivery of the report’s recommendations.