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The latest JNLR/Ipsos MRBI report into radio listening is published today (17.08.23).

On behalf of the JNLR Committee, a media release and summary information tables are available to download here.

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Please note:

Media queries regarding individual programme or station performance should be directed to IPSOS MRBI or the relevant broadcaster.

Coimisiún na Meán has today, 14 August 2023, published notice of the designation of video-sharing platform services as a category of relevant online services under section 139E of the Broadcasting Act 2009 as amended. This designation will become effective on 11 September 2023. 

A copy of the notice can be found here.

Ireland’s new media regulator and development agency, Coimisiún na Meán has today (26.07.23) announced the signing of a new national free-to-air Television Programme Service Contract with Virgin Media Television Limited.

The broadcaster was awarded the new 10-year contract following a licensing process commenced by An Coimisiún’s predecessor, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It sees the continued provision of the national free-to-air channels Virgin Media One and Two.

Commenting, Broadcasting Commissioner, Celene Craig said: “Virgin Media One and Two are valued components of Ireland’s media landscape, enhancing choice and diversity for Irish audiences with home-produced and international content in areas such as news and current affairs, entertainment, drama, sport, factual and lifestyle.

“I would like to congratulate Virgin Media Television on completion of the licensing process and wish them every success under their new contract term.”

Media Contact: Joanne Ahern / Síona Cahill, DHR Communications, Tel: 087-9881837 / 087-7530255.

Notes for Editors:

• Coimisiún na Meán was represented at the contract signing by Executive Chairperson, Jeremy Godfrey, and Broadcasting Commissioner, Celene Craig. Virgin Media Television was represented by Managing Director, Paul Farrell, and Vice President of Finance, Max Adkins. A photograph of contract signing is available on request.
• Virgin Media Television Limited also operates the channels Virgin Media Three, Four and More, and Virgin Media Sport under separate content provision contracts with Coimisiún na Meán.

The Consultation on the proposed designation of video-sharing platform services as a category of relevant online services has now closed.

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On the 11^th July 2023, Coimisiún na Meán published a Call for Inputs, entitled Online Safety – Developing Ireland’s First Binding Online Safety Code for Video-Sharing Platform Services.

Following requests from industry and civil society organisations the Commission has agreed to extend the deadline. The new deadline for submissions is Monday 4^th September 2023.

Submission can be made to VSPSregulation@cnam.ie and a copy of the Call for Inputs may be found here.

Coimisiún na Meán is now accepting applications from Independent Commercial Radio Stations for funding under a development funding round of the Sound & Vision Scheme.

This funding initiative is being implemented in response to a request by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, TD, who secured an additional €2.5 million for the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound & Vision Scheme to support the round.

This round aims to offer Independent Commercial Radio stations funding to develop and produce new and additional programming content for their audiences. In consultation with the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (“IBI”), Coimisiún na Meán has identified several strategic areas for such programming that will deliver on the objectives of the fund but also assist with the developmental and programming needs of stations and ensure that any content produced is relevant and adds to each broadcasters unique programming philosophy and schedule. These include Media Literacy, Digital Transformation, GEDI initiatives and Developing Communities and Communities of Interest.

An Coimisiún strongly encourages broadcasters to put forward ideas for creative, innovative and additional programming that will result in valuable content for both the station(s) and audience(s), including minorities and youth.

A Guide for Applicants is available here.

An Application Form is available here.

The Closing Date for receipt of completed applications is noon on 31^st August 2023.

An information webinar and workshop for applicants is being organised with Learning Waves Skillnet , the training & networking hub that provides Bespoke Coaching for the Independent Radio Sector. All eligible applicants will be contacted.

For further information about this round, please contact  bfurey@cnam.ie

New media commission will continue to hire on a rolling basis over the year – 120 new staff to be recruited initially

Ireland’s new media regulator and media development agency, Coimisiún na Meán has launched a recruitment campaign for senior staff members to join its team. Established to build on the work of its predecessor, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, the new commission is recruiting for director and managerial roles in a range of key areas to help it to deliver on its plans to enhance online safety, and to regulate and support the media sector.

As set out in its initial Work Programme, activities An Coimisiún will engage in over the coming year include the development of Ireland’s first binding online safety code; regulating on-demand and broadcast media services; developing new funding supports for the wider media sector; developing a strategy to promote gender, equality, diversity and inclusion in media, and carrying out a review of Irish language services.

An Coimisiún is hiring across a range of areas dealing with the overall media landscape, regulatory policy, platform supervision and investigations, user support in relation to broadcast or online content, Human Resources and IT.  Successful candidates will have the opportunity to play a key role in helping to shape the direction and approach of divisions within the regulator and will assist with the ongoing development of new structures, initiatives, and processes during this key start-up phase for the organisation.

Commenting, Executive Chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán, Jeremy Godfrey said: “Coimisiún na Meán is committed to ensuring a thriving, diverse and safe online and media landscape. Building on the work and remit of the BAI, we are currently in start-up phase, and we will be hiring in the region of 120 new colleagues across all levels over the coming year. This will allow us to become fully operational by early 2024.

“This is a really exciting time to be joining An Coimisiún and we are delighted to be recruiting for a range of roles that will support the delivery of our strategic objectives. We are now looking to hear from candidates with suitable skills and experience to help us meet the challenges ahead, and, at this critical phase, to grow and shape our organisation.”

For further information about the opportunities available and how to apply, visit the Coimisiún an Meán website.  

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Media Contact: Joanne Ahern / Síona Cahill, DHR Communications, Tel: 087-9881837 / 087-7530255.

Notes for Editors:

• Executive Chairperson, Jeremy Godfrey is available for interview, on request.

About Coimisiún na Meán:

Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s new commission for regulating broadcasters, on-demand services and online media, and supporting media development. Established in March 2023 under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, it builds on the work of its predecessor, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It is responsible for ensuring and maintaining a thriving and diverse media landscape in Ireland that facilitates a mix of voices, opinions and sources of news and current affairs, as well as a safe online environment.

Its responsibilities are to:

• Oversee the funding of and support the development of the wider media sector in Ireland.
• Oversee the regulation of broadcasting and video-on-demand services.
• Develop and enforce the Irish regulatory regime for online safety.

In partnership with the Trinity College School of Law, Coimisiún na Meán has published an essay on the topic of EU media regulation prepared by the top student taking the module EU Digital Single Market: Media regulation as part of the postgraduate LL.M programme in Trinity College. This initiative is designed to promote public debate about media policy and practice. The 2023 winning essay is titled ‘Protection of Media Pluralism: towards a virtuous and efficient legal framework at the European Union level’.It was written by Claire de Villiers de la Noue and is edited by Dr Ewa Komorek assistant professor, Trinity College.

A copy of the essay is available to download here.

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Research conducted by academics at DKIT, IADT, RTÉ and DCU and funded by Coimisiún na Meán

A new research report relating to services used by the vision impaired to access television content has been launched this morning (27.06.23) at an event hosted by Coimisiún na Meán.

Entitled ‘Investigating a Standardised Approach to Setting Audio Description Dip Values’, the aim of the research is to better understand the relationship between audio-described TV programme volume levels and the perceived quality of the programme’s audio descriptions.

The report, which was completed in June 2023, summarises overall findings from the multi-stage research project and suggests actions that may be taken by industry practitioners to create more standardised AD production practices and an improved listening experience for vision impaired service users.

Funded by Coimisiún na Meán through its Sectoral Learning & Development Diversity programme, the research was conducted by Kieran Lynch from Dundalk Institute of Technology & Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and Oran O’Neill from RTÉ, in collaboration with Professor Tomás Ward from the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, Dublin City University. The National Council for the Blind of Ireland also played a significant role in enabling the completion of the work.

Audio Description (AD) is a commentary that gives a viewer who is blind or vision impaired a verbal description of what is happening on the television screen at any given moment. In order for the narration to be clear, the original programme material may require a reduction, or Dip, in volume, so as to prevent masking of the audio descriptions. The Dip Value (DV) is the resultant amount by which the programme material is reduced. The study examines how AD production practices can be improved, how greater consistency can be brought to the setting of AD volume levels, and how the listening experience can be enhanced for AD Access service users.

The research was carried out across a number of stages, comprising:

• An industry survey among the international AD production community to establish current production trends and duties, to document the technical knowledge of those producing AD, and to explore whether the automation of setting AD Dip Values (DVs) would be welcomed. The findings indicated discrepancies within AD production practices, suggesting the need for international guidelines and recommendations for the setting of DVs within audio-described programmes.
• A set of experiments benchmarking the mixing practice of professional sound engineers when setting DVs. Eight experts from the Irish sound engineering community participated in this in September/October 2022. Arising from this, a range of ‘test’ AD Dip Values – a set of three DVs for each of the ‘Quiet’, ‘Normal’, and ‘Loud’ programme loudness ranges – was proposed for evaluation by a target audience.
• Listening tests to assess the proposed DV settings on an audience. These were carried out in February 2023 and involved 35 participants, including AD service users, and listeners from a wider range of groups.

Commenting on the research, Kieran Lynch said: “It is clear from our research that not only is accessibility hugely important when it comes to audience inclusion but so too is the quality of the access services provided. Audio Description services should bring consistent clarity to the descriptive passages, while also maintaining the integrity of the original programme’s narrative. However, the evidence here suggests that AD user experiences are inconsistent across broadcast and streaming services, that these inconsistencies stem from a lack of industry recommendations and guidelines for setting Audio Description Dip Values, and quite often this technical task is carried out by non-technical production personnel. It is therefore important to establish a set of technical standards and guidelines for setting appropriate AD Dip Values.

“We feel that best practice in the production of AD content is to employ experienced, professional sound engineers when setting Audio Description Dip Values. However, we recognise that this is not always an option and therefore the proposed set of technical actions should allow AD producers to bring consistent quality to their content and positively impact the vision impaired community.”

Broadcasting Commissioner Celene Craig added: “Coimisiún na Meán is committed to ensuring a thriving, diverse and safe media landscape, building on the work of our predecessor, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The BAI conducted a review in 2022 of the Access Rules, which are designed to increase the understanding and enjoyment of television by people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted. Over the coming year, An Coimisiún will conduct a public consultation as part of the revision of these rules. The research published today will help to inform discussions and policy developments in this area.”

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Contact: Joanne Ahern / Síona Cahill, DHR Communications. Tel: 087-9881837 / 087-753 0255.

Notes for Editors:

• The research report can be found on the Coimisiún na Meán here.
• Kieran Lynch (Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology) and Oran O’Neill (RTÉ) are available for interview on request on Tuesday, 27^th June on the findings of the research.
• The Industry Survey was conducted in October 2021 and involved 42 participants, including AD scripters, narrators, sound engineers, media producers and directors in Ireland, the UK, Europe, the USA, Canada, Argentina and Australia.

About Coimisiún na Meán:

Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s new commission for regulating broadcasters, on demand and online media, and for supporting media development. Established in March 2023 under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, it builds on the work of its predecessor, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It is responsible for ensuring and maintaining a thriving, diverse and safe media landscape in Ireland that facilitates a mix of voices, opinions and sources of news and current affairs.

Its responsibilities are to:

• Oversee the funding of and support the development of the wider media sector in Ireland.
• Oversee the regulation of broadcasting and video-on-demand services.
• Develop and enforce the Irish regulatory regime for online safety.

Coimisiún na Meán is led by an Executive Chairperson, and currently includes an Online Safety Commissioner, a Media Development Commissioner, and a Broadcasting Commissioner. Recruitment is currently underway for a Digital Services Commissioner.