Irish production company BiggerStage has officially opened a €10 million global production hub at Troy Studios, Co Limerick.
The company, which was founded five years ago by former Virgin Media Television managing director Pat Kiely, said the move marked a “significant milestone” in the company’s expansion.
It is understood the investment is worth €10 million over four years, and that 200 people will be directly employed at the facility. Up to 400 more “ancillary jobs” will be supported.
Troy Studios spans 26 acres and includes four premium sound stages totalling 100,000sq ft, with an overall footprint of 350,000sq ft.
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Since its launch in 2021, BiggerStage has attracted productions to Ireland in partnership with big players including Fox Entertainment, MGM, Studio Ramsay Global, Talpa Studios and, more recently, ITV Studios.
The company said the investment represents “a big proof point” of a tax credit introduced by the Government in Budget 2025 for unscripted television productions.
The unscripted tax credit is available at a rate of 20 per cent on qualifying production expenditure of up to €15 million, while projects are required to pass a cultural test.
The aim was to help the State become an international production hub for unscripted television.
“Within months of the tax credit’s introduction, BiggerStage has significantly scaled its operations, creating opportunities for skilled jobs across production, technical and creative roles in the midwest region,” the company said.
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BiggerStage also announced the introduction of a new dedicated incubator called Format Factory for developing and piloting original television at the hub in Limerick. It said the incubator will enable producers to test, refine and scale new concepts for unscripted formats.
“We are in the middle of a really exciting evolution of television across viewing habits, content creation and platform consolidation,” Kiely said.
“Ireland’s creative reputation, world-class infrastructure and highly-skilled talent means we are spectacularly positioned to capitalise on this shift.
“The recently introduced unscripted tax incentive, on top of the wider audio visual incentives already in place, will help Ireland compete with any market in the world to attract international players and drive foreign direct investment in this growing sector.”
He said the launch of Format Factory was “hugely exciting and a great opportunity to bring Ireland’s producers, broadcasters and content creators together to make Ireland famous for game-changing, compelling and globally attractive television formats”.
“The dividends from these early initiatives are real and already visible,” he added. “It has resulted in significant job creation nationally, and new local employment opportunities, together with a range of training and development initiatives.”
