SOUND AND VISION ROUND 62 | VMTV CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
ENTERTAINMENT & FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT
We are seeking bingeable, easy watch factual entertainment series and original formats, with a particular focus on celebrity driven titles that offer access, personality, humour and unfiltered emotion; reality formats that are character driven, high energy and talkable; and innovative reality/gameplay hybrids.
Property, including renovation, buying, renting, housing challenges, is an area of interest, as well as health and wellbeing across physical, mental, preventative or emotionally resonant journeys.
Building on the success of The Assembly Ireland, Help Me Buy A Home and Living With Lucy, our entertainment and factual entertainment formats should inform, inspire and empower through entertainment while remaining accessible and commercially appealing. We welcome fresh talent, bold new faces, expert voices and celebrity driven vehicles. We are open to both closed episode formats and series arced formats. We will consider Irish adaptations of existing international formats, where a localised version can add value for viewers and additionality to the Irish content market. All ideas should be contemporary, shareable, cross platform friendly and capable of driving strong audience conversation.
FACTUAL SERIES
We will consider returnable factual series that offer strong emotional impact, compelling access and distinctive worlds. We have a particular interest in True Crime; Blue-light and medical access series that bring viewers inside emergency services, and high-pressure environments; unique access projects that open the door to unseen or misunderstood communities; story driven investigative series; and provocative conversation starters that challenge the status quo while resonating without ever feeling like homework.
Previous commissions such as Brain Doctors: Inside Neurosurgery, First Timers on the Frontline and The Guards demonstrate our appetite for hard hitting yet hopeful storytelling.
We are not currently seeking feature length documentaries.
SCRIPTED
We are also inviting authentic, untold original Irish drama proposals with broad appeal and clear international potential. We are particularly focused on drama based on real events in the vein of Mr Bates vs The Post Office and youth skewing, contemporary, societal issues driven drama similar in tone or approach to Heated Rivalry or Adolescence. We are seeking multipart drama series only.
Our target demographic is 18–45, and all series must be capable of performing in post watershed peak slots on Virgin Media One, or in select earlier weekend evening positions. We are especially interested in projects that take a digital first approach and offer innovative opportunities for social extensions, companion content or multiplatform storytelling. A strong track record in excellent casting, confident storytelling and high-quality execution is essential.
While new writers are welcome, submissions must come through production companies. Virgin Media Television will work closely with producers to attach international partners but a track record in financing high-end drama is advantageous.
Submission Details:
- All applications must be submitted through the Commissioning Portal. You will need to register as a supplier in the first instance and then be approved before being able to submit your proposal. Please ensure you allow time for this.
- PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for submissions regarding Round 62of CnM Sound & Vision Fund for Virgin Media Television is 12pm on Thursday 8th October.
- All submissions must include a one-two page programme proposal, pitch deck, top line production budget and finance plan. Sizzles, episode outlines and visual guides are encouraged and will strengthen applications.
- Virgin Media Television is currently inviting submissions from Production Companies or Producers with a proven track record only at this time. If you are not a producer or submitting through a production company, and have a general query, feel free to contact vmtvinfo@virginmedia.ie
- Please read the Terms and Conditions on the commissioning portal and note that submissions will not be reviewed or considered if they are not accepted when submitting your proposal.
