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S4C chief warns over funding cuts

The chief executive of S4C, the Welsh-Language pubcaster behind hit drama Hinterland, has warned the service must be funded “sufficiently” if it is to continue to work.

Hinterland

S4C hit crime drama Hinterland

Speaking at the annual National Eisteddfod festival in Wales yesterday, Jones called for savings to be imposed fairly, citing the cuts already made to S4C’s budget at a time when it faces challenges from online content services.

S4C – which now receives most of its funding via the BBC – has been told it will be expected to find “reasonable savings” as part of the UK licence fee settlement announced in July. Its funding was reduced from £101m (US$157m) in 2009 to £82.8m in 2014/15.

“The question for me is how will Welsh-language public service broadcasting look in years to come,” said Jones. “With the starting whistle blown on the discussions about the future of S4C’s funding, I agree that all establishments must to be prepared to share the burden of making savings, but we need to ensure fairness.

“We must consider the service S4C provides, and how much Welsh-language public service broadcasting will remain if there are to be significant cuts to the S4C framework and service. Fairness, in my opinion, is to take into consideration the 36% cuts, in real terms, that were set for S4C in 2010.

Ian Jones

Ian Jones

“Whilst there is a choice of English-language provision available for viewers in Wales, we only have one service in Welsh. S4C must be funded sufficiently if it is to continue this work, or political decisions must be made about what elements of Welsh-language public broadcasting is acceptable to discard.”

The discussion was hosted at Cardiff University’s stand at the National Eisteddfod.

On the panel with Jones was Rhodri Talfan Davies, director of BBC Wales; Professor Sioned Davies, head of school of Welsh at Cardiff University; and Dr Rhodri ap Dyfrig, expert on mass media.

Last month, Sony Pictures Television renewed its partnership with S4C to produce shows for the local and international markets.

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