Combatting digital piracy among Audiovisual Ireland’s top priorities

Audiovisual Ireland, the Ibec representative group for the screen industry has called for the next government to prioritise combatting digital piracy, promoting Irish language content, and continuing to increase Screen Ireland funding.

According to Audiovisual Ireland, digital piracy poses a significant threat to the Irish screen industry, affecting employment, tax revenue, and the overall sustainability of creative content production. The latest available research by the EU Intellectual Property Office estimates that pirated film and television content was accessed some 21.48 billion times by EU based internet users. Audiovisual Ireland recommends increased resourcing within An Garda Síochána to build on recent successful prosecutions of resellers of pirated content.

Audiovisual Ireland's priorities document also calls for sustained and increased funding for Screen Ireland to maintain Ireland's competitiveness as a world-class location for screen content production. To do so, Screen Ireland requires production and skills development resources comparable to those of competing agencies, with annual capital allocations regularly benchmarked to ensure adequacy.

Torlach Denihan, Director of Audiovisual Ireland, said, “The screen industry in Ireland creates some 12,000 jobs, is estimated to be worth over €692 million annually to Ireland and has won a host of major international awards including 31 Academy Award nominations since 2010.

The recent global success of ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ and ‘Kneecap’ has highlighted an appetite beyond our shores for Irish language content and provides us with an opportunity to showcase Irish culture and heritage. Further to Coimisiún na Meán’s Irish Language Review, consideration should be given to increased funding for Irish language output in public service media.

The Budget contained welcome enhancements to the Section 481 tax credit incentive. It will be important to implement the commitment in the Budget speech to explore the scope to introduce a visual effects (VFX) specific measure in Budget 2026. Investment in regional production and skills development is also critical pending the development of new regionally focused Section 481 measures. Providing interim regional funding will help sustain regional creative hubs and nurture local talent, and Audiovisual Ireland also believes that exploring a Section 481 tax credit uplift for Gaeltacht-based productions would ensure balanced growth and aid our mission to promote Ireland’s rich cultural heritage. Supporting these initiatives will drive the Irish screen industry forward and keep Ireland competitive on a global scale.”

Audiovisual Ireland’s Priorities:

Digital Piracy:

• Allocate additional resources to An Garda Síochána to combat digital piracy through investigation and prosecution.

Irish Language Content:

• Promote the development, production, and delivery of Irish-language content to showcase Irish culture and heritage.

Public Service Broadcasting

• Reform the funding of public service media and content production to fully address the needs of Irish audiences in the current media and audiovisual production and distribution landscape

Regional Production and Skills Development:

• Invest more in regional skills development and production, including interim funding to bridge the gap until new regionally focused Section 481 measures are developed.

Screen Ireland Funding:

• Continue increasing Screen Ireland's current and capital funding to support Irish creative talent and attract inward production investment, benchmarking against similar agencies in other countries.

Tax Incentives

• Conduct a study to explore introducing a Section 481 tax credit incentive uplift for producers based in Gaeltacht areas
• Implement the commitment in the Minister for Finance’s Budget 2025 speech to explore the scope to introduce a visual effects (VFX) specific measure Budget 2026