Green inc. wins landmark RTÉ commission

Green Inc. Film and Television, the biggest independent production company in Northern Ireland, has scooped one of the largest commissions ever given to an indie, with a new series of RTÉ’s flagship magazine programme ‘The Afternoon Show’.
The series, broadcast live every weekday on RTÉ One, returns with an extended ten-month run of 162 programmes – over 230 hours – to be transmitted from September until June. The commission is RTÉ’s biggest to date.
The order follows the success of the first series of The Afternoon Show, which exceeded audience targets when it was transmitted in 2004-5. It also cements Green Inc.’s position as an expert in the field of entertainment, factual entertainment, daytime and live programming both in the UK and internationally.
Commissioned by Grainne McAleer, Commissioning Editor Daytime & Lifestyle, at RTÉ, The Afternoon Show is presented by Big Brother 1 finalist Anna Nolan and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh. The series producer is Siobhan O’Gorman, who produced GMTV for over five years and whose other credits include ‘The Lorraine Show’ for Sky One, ‘Gourmet Ireland’ for BBC Northern Ireland and ‘The Really Useful Show’ for BBC One.
Stephen Stewart, Managing Director of Green Inc., said: “This new commission reinforces our track record as one of the few UK independent production companies with experience of delivering live programming on this scale. We’re delighted to be continuing our relationship with RTÉ on a programme that has already proved itself a big hit with viewers and our plans for the new series are even more ambitious.”
Broadcast from Monday to Friday each week, The Afternoon Show features lifestyle, information and fun in a straight-talking magazine format, covering everything from current affairs to cookery, with topicality, public participation and wit all essential to the mix.
The new run of 90-minute programmes begins on September 5. It is a Green Inc. Film and Television production for RTÉ. The first series of The Afternoon Show was commissioned for 126 episodes (over 150 hours), attracting an average audience share of 26%, an increase of 5% on the previous year’s programming in the same slot.
(GB)