TG4 is marking 30 years on air with a series of launches that reflect how a broadcaster looks towards the future.
Since first broadcasting on 31 October 1996, TG4 has grown from an Irish language television channel to a distinctive, multiplatform public service media organisation with a strong cultural, creative and economic impact. That growth included the launch of sister channel Cúla4 in 2023, creating a dedicated Irish-language service for children and young audiences.
To mark its 30th anniversary, TG4 is unveiling a major new ‘Súil Eile’ campaign, alongside the launch of TG4+, a newly redesigned and enhanced version of the TG4 Player and a digital news service for Nuacht TG4. Together, these launches represent significant steps in TG4’s evolution and a clear statement of ambition for the next 30 years.
Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General of TG4, said: “On the opening night of TnaG in 1996, Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht Michael D Higgins said: “Táim ag tnúth leis an am a bheidh Teilifís na Gaeilge ina rogha, ní hamháin i measc na ndaoine a úsáideann an Ghaeilge mar a dteanga laethúil ach freisin i measc thromlach phobal na tíre atá fabhrach don teanga agus a aithníonn a sainiúlacht agus a tábhacht bhunúsach mar chuid dár gcultúr.”
The launch of TnaG marked the beginning of a new exciting era of Irish language creativity and cultural identity. As Director General of TG4, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to reflect on the journey that has brought us to our 30th anniversary. Since our establishment in 1996, the media landscape has changed beyond recognition, but our purpose remains as important as ever: to serve audiences through distinctive Irish-language public service media and to ensure that the language has a strong, visible and contemporary presence in Irish life.
In an English-dominated media market, TG4 offers a unique perspective on Ireland. Súil Eile is about more than broadcasting in Irish; it is about a different perspective of life, distinctive storytelling, championing creativity and reflecting the lives, experiences and aspirations of our communities.
Global streaming services, public service media, social media platforms and connected devices have transformed how programmes are discovered, accessed and consumed. In this environment, we therefore must reflect on what Súil Eile means to audiences today, in the era of choice, and how TG4 can remain distinctive, relevant and essential in their lives.
This year, we commissioned research from market research agency Bricolage to help us understand what audiences look for from TG4, their needs and motivations, and how TG4 makes them feel. One of the most encouraging findings is that audiences feel proud when they watch TG4. Across all audience groups, entertainment and mood regulation emerged as key needs.
The research findings will help shape our future content strategy, scheduling, marketing and brand positioning. They reinforce that audiences must be at the heart of our decision making. At the same time, we must continue to offer them something they cannot find elsewhere. Our response is not simply to copy or produce more content. It is to cultivate creativity: to create original ip, and create the conditions in which talent, ideas and ambition can flourish to support new voices; and to enable our producers to take risks, innovate and tell distinctive stories.
At the centre of TG4’s 30th anniversary is a new ‘Súil Eile’ campaign, asking audiences to reflect on the colour and unique perspective TG4 and the Irish language brings. Developed with The Tenth Man and filmmakers the McGloughlin Brothers, the campaign brings TG4’s identity to life through film and photography, including new work by photographer Kevin Goss-Ross.