TV3 are looking to commission their first-ever soap opera. A formal tendering process will be launched next month and they've put the call out to Irish and UK production companies to pitch their ideas.
Jeff Ford (TV3’s director of programmes) has said they're looking for a mainstream drama in an urban setting, which would run twice-weekly with an initial goal of up to 100 episodes a year.
'It's quite a commitment, but launching a homegrown soap reinforces the landscape of the channel. Every major broadcaster has its own soap and this is the perfect time to launch one for TV3.'
He added: 'It makes perfect sense to open this up to UK indies. But we shouldn't underestimate the Irish producers, who know how to make quality shows on a budget.'
This new soap would put TV3's new Sony HD Studio to great use and would give RTÉ's long-running Fair City a new homegrown rival.
We could definitely see TV3 attempting something along the lines of Hollyoaks... a younger, sexier soap, but we'll just have to wait and see what sort of pitches roll in. What sort of soap would you like to see TV3 produce?
