TG4 has been allocated a total of €65.4 million for 2026 in the budget, an increase of 9 per cent or €5.4 million from this year, but only slightly more than half of the €10 million uplift it requested in its pre-budget submission.
Deirdre Ní Choistín, the broadcaster’s director general, has welcomed the funding increase. She said it is the second-largest annual jump TG4 has received in a budget in recent years, after an additional €7.3 million was allocated to it in 2023 to launch its new children’s channel, Cúla4.
The broadcaster received €60 million in last year’s budget, up €3 million from 2023, but below the €78.6 million funding level it targeted for 2024 in its post-Covid strategy.
However, funding for TG4 increased sharply under the previous government and minister for media, Catherine Martin, rising by 60 per cent in the five years from 2020.
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Delivering his budget speech in the Dáil, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers said the additional funding will allow the Irish language broadcaster to expand its children’s programming output and its news service.
Minister for Communications, Culture and Sport Patrick O’Donovan said the additional funding represented a “big increase” for TG4. He said the funding would allow the broadcaster to take a “big step forward” with its news service.
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On Tuesday, Ms Ní Choistín said she was “deeply grateful” to Minister for Communications, Culture and Sport Patrick O’Donovan and his officials, “in particular the recognition for expanded news services for TG4″.
“This investment, as we approach thirty years on air, demonstrates the minister’s confidence in the TG4 team, the TG4 Board and in the value of TG4 as an Irish language public service media provider and the importance of the work we do for the Irish language and Irish language communities around the world.”
Last month, an Oireachtas committee recommended that TG4 receive multiannual funding packages instead of annual allocations in the budget, to give it certainty and bring funding for State-owned broadcasters into alignment with the European Media Freedom Act.
The Government’s Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill will give effect to the European Union act, which requires that State funding for public service broadcasting be predictable.
Separately on Tuesday, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe announced an enhancement to the section 481 tax relief for the film industry, specifically aimed at Ireland’s growing visual effects (VFX) industry.
The rate of relief will increase from 32 per cent to 40 per cent for the sector, to a minimum of €1 million of eligible expenditure and a maximum of €10 million.
Irish-based VFX studios like Egg VFX and Windmill Lane Pictures have worked on a range of high-profile projects for international studios like Warner, Fox, Netflix and HBO.
The increased rate of relief will provide “significant benefit” to TG4’s independent production sector partners, a spokeswoman said.
Overall, the Department of Communications, Culture and Arts received an allocation of €1.5 billion for 2026, comprising €814 million to fund current spending and €701 million for capital expenditure.
Some €357 million was allocated specifically for broadcasting, which includes TG4’s funding as well as the €240 million that has already been allocated to RTÉ as part of its €725 million multi-year settlement agreement with the Government last year.
