Illustration: Adeline Pericart
RTÉ Format Farm 2015 have announced this year’s Call for Format Farm Ideas.
Format Farm is an established RTÉ business innovation initiative to support the production and broadcast of original TV formats for both Irish audiences and for export.
RTÉ Format Farm 2015:
Opens: 27th February 2015
Closing Date: 27th March 2015 (5pm, strict deadline)
Shortlist notification date: June 1st 2015
Pilots will be broadcast in 2015.
As with previous years for this initiative a Short List will be provided to enable the Independent Producers to go and seek financing from other sources which may include International Distributors.
RTÉ Channel Controllers will make their final selection for 4 pilots from the Format idea’s that have received matched funds.
RTÉ Format Farm will provide 50% of the budget. Budget estimates are €25K from RTÉ Format Farm and €25K from the Independent Production Company (via International Distributor).
For exceptional ideas there may be potential to increase the budget. Any budget increase provided will required a commensurate increase in matched funding from the Independent Production company or participating International Distributor.
RTÉ ask, in the first instance, that producers submit ideas into the eCommissioning system:
https://e-commissioning.rte.ie/SWIFT.Web/skins/rte/login.aspx
under the programme category eg – “Genre – Format Farm”
All ideas will be reviewed by the relevant Genre Head for consideration and they will make recommendations to the Channel Controllers. The Channel Controllers will seek input from RTÉ Global for a view on the international potential of the recommended ideas.
To focus your submissions please click on link to find out what specific slots the channel controllers Adrian Lynch of RTÉ One and Bill Malone of RTÉ2 are looking at from format farm content.
In the past Format Farm ideas have been funded and developed in partnership with some of the biggest names in international distribution, and the work so far has received a very positive response from the international TV market.
Recent Format Farm successes include:
The Take Over is currently on air on Channel 4 in the UK.
The Hit a Vision Independent Productions format has been sold in several territories.
Whose Holiday is it Anyway a Coco Productions format won best European TV format at the prestigious Eurovision Creative Days Forum.
