The UK Government has announced an additional funding of £7.5million to S4C this year, to support the Welsh language broadcaster’s development of their digital services.

S4C has welcomed the funding settlement, which will increase the funding it receives from the licence fee from £74.5m to £88.8m.

The announcement came from Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries MP in the House of Commons who said that the channel ‘plays a unique and critical role in promoting the Welsh language.’

She then added: “S4C plays a vital role in supporting the Welsh economy, culture, and society. This funding will support S4C in reaching more Welsh-language speakers including younger audiences.”

Following the announcement, Shadow Welsh Language Minister and Senedd member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Samuel Kurtz said: “This commitment towards S4C from the UK Government is a clear endorsement of the channel’s long-term vision as a Welsh language broadcaster and content creator.

“Having met with S4C’s senior leadership team, I know full well how passionate their vision is for our language.

“The additional funding to support digital services is an acknowledgement that online streaming services now play a huge role in our consumption of television shows.

“Putting S4C up there with the streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime will bring a new and growing audience to Welsh language content.”