Gala new sponsor of IFTA Television Awards

IFTA, the Irish Film & Television Academy, has confirmed that Gala, the Irish retail convenience group with 200 stores countrywide, is the new three-year headline sponsor of the annual ‘IFTA Gala Television Awards’.

The IFTA Gala Television Awards ceremony will take place on October 22 at the Double Tree Hotel in Dublin and will celebrate and recognise the very best of Irish creative talent and Irish home-grown TV programming within 23 categories from entertainment, soap and comedy to factual, current affairs and news across all of the Irish broadcasters RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TV3, 3e, TG4, Sky, UTV and BBC Northern Ireland.  The awards will be broadcast on TV3 on October 25.

Earlier this year, the Academy split the larger annual Awards into two separate events similar to other countries, and in keeping with best international practice.  Submissions to the awards have increased by 25 per cent this year alone.

Commenting on why the partnership with IFTA is a good fit with Gala, CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond says: “As an Irish brand that always strives for excellence within our stores, there is a real synergy with celebrating the best in Irish television. Irish programme-makers and Irish creative talent are truly raising the bar in delivering high quality TV programmes to Irish audiences and Gala is proud to support the Academy in highlighting these achievements.

“We’re confident that partnering with such an iconic Irish Institution – IFTA – to celebrate the best in Irish television will resonate with our shoppers, as they’ll play a central role in which show wins the Gala TV Show of the Year, and as the awards are broadcast on TV3, everyone can enjoy the show at home!”

Gala is the first-ever headline sponsor for the IFTA Gala Television Awards and the three-year deal will be amplified in-store via consumer promotions, giving away top of the range electronics and VIP IFTA gift bags. In addition, Gala’s social media channels will play an important role in the partnership. It will be the ‘People’s Choice’ as to which show wins the Gala TV Show of the Year, and our customers and the public can vote via Gala’s facebook page, and there’s an exciting VIP trip to the IFTAS up for grabs.

For the past twelve years since 2003, the Irish Film & Television Academy has showcased the very best of Irish creative talent to the world at large, building a national pride and international awareness of Ireland’s small but very talented and growing industry, with the home audience building to a record viewership of 1.24 million peak viewers in 2013.

Over the coming weeks the Academy will announce further details including the 2015 IFTA Television Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; the IFTA Gala People’s Choice Award categories; and the Awards Ceremony Host and Guest Presenters.

 

Our picture shows Television presenters, Martin King (TV3); Alison Comyn (UTV Ireland); Miriam O Callaghan (RTÉ) and Tristan Rosenstock (TG4) joining IFTA CEO Áine Moriarty and Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail, at the launch of the IFTA Gala Television Awards.