Covid-19 has put an end to on-screen hugging or kissing between participants in the upcoming series of RTÉ ratings winner, First Dates. “They can blow each other kisses but no kisses or hugs on our watch due to social distancing. Other companies to feature prominently in the RTÉ Independent Productions Annual Report include Shinawil for Dancing with the Stars and Vision Independent Productions for Operation Transformation. RTÉ is statute-bound to spend around €40 million on independent productions each year. ”He added: “That €40 million spend would be vital to the industry and that €40 million turns into at least €100 million by the time we leverage co-productions and Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and tax funding.

Source: The Irish Times August 13, 2020 16:18 UTC