We’ll be seeing a little less of Carrigstown next year.
RTÉ have announced that it will be reducing the number of Fair City episodes by one a week in a new bid to cut losses next year.
In an email to staff, the national broadcaster said that it will be cutting its expenditure by around €10 million for 2024, in order to address “immediate and significant financial challenges”.
As a result, the long-running TV soap will be cut from four nights per week to three nights from January 4, 2024.
RTÉ stated that the reasoning behind the decision was to allow for a pause in production in July and August. It was added that they “will continue to produce four episodes per week but will air three.”
RTÉ announces number of cuts in productions for 2024
In a statement to JOE, RTÉ confirmed a number of cuts and deferrals as part of its ongoing cost-saving strategy.
As well as Fair City’s episode cut next year, RTÉ also announced that its in-house Sunday evening summer factual programming will not be produced in 2024.
The broadcaster also stated that it will not produce an in-house Saturday evening entertainment show in the Spring of 2024.
New seasons of other shows, like the third season of The Money List and Young Offenders will be deferred until 2025.
Kevin Bakhurst, RTÉ Director-General, said in a statement: “2024 will be a challenging year and one in which we will have to manage our cost base carefully. These deferrals of production and transmission, along with reduced production budgets, are hard choices.
“However, they will not only assist us in achieving the required savings, but allow for pro-active cost and resource management in the delivery of essential special events in 2024. With these temporary reductions and deferrals, we are seeking to maintain and preserve RTÉ’s schedules and public service delivery as much as possible.
“With the launch of the new direction outline plan, my hope, as I have said before, is that we will enter 2025 armed with a robust strategy that makes the best use of the monies available to fund our national media service, monies we will invest as wisely and strategically as possible to improve the invaluable contribution of public service media to life in Ireland.
“Those monies, of course, depend upon a decision on the future sustainable funding of public service media in Ireland.”
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