Cyfieithiad I’r Saesneg gan Gomisiwn y Senedd
English
Translation by Senedd Commission
Delyth Jewell MS
Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee
Welsh Parliament
CF99 1SN
30 October 2023
Public Service Broadcasting in Wales: Request for additional information
Dear Chair,
We would like to thank you for the opportunity to offer evidence on Wednesday, 4 October 2023, and for the Committee's continued interest in and support of public service broadcasting in Wales.
Following your request for additional information, we outline further details regarding spending by S4C on content during 2022-23.
Since its launch in 1982, S4C has recognised that it has an important responsibility and function to contribute to the future of the language, culture, society and economy of Wales. We are very proud of the part we have played in the success of the creative industries in Wales and of the strong chain of independent production companies that have been established here.
It is important that the economic contribution of S4C be felt in all parts of Wales. S4C has an aim to spend over 95% of its content budget with producers based in Wales and, over the next few years, to ensure a more equal distribution of spending on content across Wales.
We report annually on our expenditure on content and specify the distribution of that expenditure based on the locations of the offices of the production companies that create our programmes in the S4C Annual Report and Accounts.
During 2022-23, it is stated that the expenditure outside Wales was 2%, and that figure has been rounded up from 1.6%. It is also stated in the annual report that the corresponding figure for 2021-22 was 1%; this was rounded down from 1.48%.
The increase of 0.1
in the percentage of the content budget that has been spent outside
Wales is a result of additional sports programmes that were
provided by a
production company whose
producers and filming work are based in Wales, but which is
headquartered in London.
From year to year, the breakdown of spending on content may vary as a result of the range of S4C commissions. However, because S4C works with producers based in Wales, there are very few cases where we spend on content outside of Wales. Normally, there will be expenditure on content outside Wales as a result of the location of the headquarters of some independent production companies, occasional co-productions, or format purchases.
Yours sincerely,
