Waterford TV company Nemeton has secured a key contract in Scotland to deliver almost 200 hours of TV sport per year on the BBC ALBA channel.
The coverage will include Guinness PRO12 rugby, the Scottish Premiership (SPFL) and shinty and will run for three years from July 1st.
Nemeton produces TG4’s very successful live GAA and Guinness PRO12 coverage as well as web TV content for a variety of corporate clients including New York-based Adorama TV, AIB’s #THETOUGHEST campaign, the GAA and the PRO12.
The company also provides people and satellite facilities for a range of broadcasters at home and abroad including RTÉ, Sky Sports and the BBC.
It won the Established Sports Business of the Year at the 2016 Sport Industry Awards.
“Today’s announcement is a game-changer to be taking on such a significant contract in another country,” said Nemeton Founder and CEO Irial MacMurchú.
“It is a tribute to our hard-working team in Waterford as well as the existing production team at mneTV in Glasgow who will join Nemeton to deliver this exciting contract.”
“The tender process was extremely competitive and to have come out on top in an arena that involved some of Britain’s biggest and most respected production companies is particularly pleasing and is indicative of our ambition for BBC ALBA.”
“It is a confluence of everything we love to do: sport, technology, creativity and the broadcasts will be in Gàidhlig.”
Nemeton is firmly rooted in the Gaeltacht community of An Rinn in Waterford. Far from the bright lights normally associated with television production it has built a powerful portfolio of programme content.
Its studio and production facilities are like as if a spaceship had landed amid the bucolic countryside of west Waterford and this expansion comes as the company turned 20 having started out flying tapes back from Spanish soccer, overlaying an Irish language commentary and broadcasting out on what was at the time a fledgling itself TG4.
“Whilst it is an international contract, it feels like an extension of home to be working with our Celtic partners,” added Mac Murchú.
“We look forward to working with MG ALBA and BBC ALBA and developing the opportunities that lie ahead. Our goal is to build on our existing work for TG4, bringing innovative live sport to fans everywhere”
“These decisions lay the foundations for the future success of BBC ALBA,” said CEO Donald Campbell.
“Our very close relationship with the channel’s creative community is hugely valuable to us, and to BBC ALBA audiences. The decision to work with Nemeton Scotland Ltd offers the potential of creating an exciting new international partnership.”
“All of BBC ALBA’s content must be highly distinctive, and this new relationship for sports content creates many opportunities, for programming and for more collaboration with Ireland.”
The contract begins on 1 July 2017 and will run for three years.
