IRISH TV has suspended production on new programming and is actively looking for a new investor, The Irish Post has learned.
The Mayo-based television station which is aimed at the global Irish Diaspora, has bases in Northern Ireland, London, Manchester and Birmingham.
It's understood that film crews were told last Friday night, November 4, to pause work on new productions, although the station will continue to broadcast programming it has already produced.
The station, previously funded to the tune of €15million by London-born Irish millionaire John Griffin, is currently looking for funding and a new investor.
Mr Griffin has sold his mini-cab firm Addison Lee in 2013 in a deal worth £300million before investing in the fledgling TV station.
Presenter of Sligo County Matters Claire Ronan tweeted yesterday that filming on their programme had ceased and "hopefully" new investors would be found.
Pls RT We have ceased filming Sligo county matters for Irish TV thank you for your support and hopefully new investors will be found soon
— claire ronan (@Claire_Ronan) November 7, 2016
Irish TV was set us in 2014 by former journalists Pierce O'Reilly - the company's CEO - and Mairead Ni Mhaoilchiarain, its managing director.
Speaking to The Irish Post before the station's launch in May, 2014, Mr O'Reilly said: "We have travelled extensively as well and realised when in England, America and Australia that it was very important to keep in touch with home and to keep our identity and our ties.
"Yet, while there was lots of brilliant radio stations and newspapers doing that, there was no TV platform where people could actually see what was happening at home and actually be a part of it. So that was what we started to develop four years ago."
The station has been available for viewing on Sky channel 191, free to air boxes, Freesat channel 400 and online at IrishTV.com.
Earlier this year, Irish TV announced a worldwide access deal with Tata, a global communications network which broadcasts across five continents.
With the deal, the station was broadcast to Irish people in the US and Britain via a phone app from July 1, with plans to expand to other regions in the future.
At the time, founder and CEO of Irish TV Pierce O'Reilly said Irish TV's availability to the US was "great news" for Irish businesses.
Irish TV CEO Pierce O'Reilly, Brian Morris General Manager of Global Media & Entertainment Services Tata Communications, John Griffin Irish TV Chairman, Alex Sharp Strategic Manager Partner Tata Communications, Mairead Ni Mhaoilchiarain Managing Director Irish TV at the announcement of the partnership between Irish TV and Tata Communications. (Picture: Irish TV)“Irish TV will now be able to offer an industry-leading suite of services to our viewers such as on-demand, rewind and catch-up,” said Mr O’Reilly.
“The OTT technology will allow us to offer geo-targeted content and advertising solutions to clients in various markets worldwide and it will enable all content providers to deliver immediate content worldwide via Irish TV.
This is great news for Irish businesses, content creators and Irish film producers that seek international exposure. For example, our expansion into the US gives Irish businesses an easy route to a targeted audience.”
The broadcaster, which just celebrated its second birthday in May, also announced its "most ambitious" line up of new programming in February for the 2016 Spring schedule.
Included in the line up were favourites Treyvaud Travels. Jimmy's Heroes, Eamonn Mallie Meets and On the Road with Lisa as well as its County Matters series from every county in Ireland.
A range of new lifestyle programming was also rolled out, including Hat Show, Beyond the Lens which gave access behind the scenes access to Irish film producers, and Grassroots, a look at Irish farming and agricultural sectors.
Commissioning editor Brian Hurley said at the launch of the schedule that the station was "constantly striving" to deliver insightful programming.
“Irish TV is constantly striving to deliver insightful and compelling home produced programming that is relevant, informs, educates and entertains," he said.
The Irish Post has contacted John Griffin and Irish TV and is awaiting comment.
