Welsh Screen Summit 2025: S4C chief calls on tech companies to protect ‘future of our culture’

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By guest writer Max Taylor

Wales’ premier event for the film and TV industry – Welsh Screen Summit 2025 – returned this week with important figures from major companies joining to cover major topics as well as the future direction and growth of the industry.

Here are the major talking points from the two-day summit which took place in the Parkgate hotel across Tuesday and Wednesday this week:

BBC Director General Tim Davie addresses competitors and reviews landscape of public service broadcasting

Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, claimed that the BBC “have never been more needed” across multiple forms of content including news, documentary, and investigative programming.

Davie raised the BBC’s licence fee as a key difference between competitors: “I like Netflix, I really admire Disney but we have this amazing benefit of a licence fee that everyone is in on and that means we don’t have to rely purely on global efficiency. We can actually create homegrown content.”

Davie also expanded on the challenges the BBC faces amongst the rise of digital platforms: “Work is getting more expensive to deliver, the world is becoming more polarised, everybody has a view about the BBC. You have just got more competition for your time.

“YouTube are on the march. I think you have got to be on your toes at the BBC and not take anything for granted.”

The Director General closed out his talk with a call to action: “It is the time to fight for public service broadcasting. The jeopardy is high”

Sidemen Manager highlights reward for TV Producers breaking into social media

Jordan Schwarzenberger is a key figure behind the success of the Sidemen collective, a YouTube phenomenon with a multi-platform following of 244 million people.

Schwarzenberger spoke at the summit, highlighting that there has been no generational shift to traditional television:

“I think a lot of people had this idea that one day Gen Z would put their phone away…and they would be watching Saturday night TV around the fire.

“Gen Z have grown up. Gen Z are not doing that”

The media manager spoke about his experiences working on successful social media programmes and envisioned a future where traditional TV made the transition:

“I always think of Amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop Dates. I just remember thinking why is no one else doing this? Amelia was putting together two or three thousand pounds for an episode. Development budgets are way bigger than that.

“There’s no reason why a TV producer couldn’t do that. The minute that penny drops it’s game over. Because you are the best storytellers. In a couple of years time, the professionalisation of Youtube and premium content will be right up there.”

Actor Eve Myles opens up about considering leaving the film and TV industry

Welsh Actor Eve Myles sat down with BAFTA Chief Executive Officer Jane Millichip to discuss her career-defining roles such as Gwen Cooper in Torchwood as well as more vulnerable times in her career like when she almost gave up acting.

Myles told Millichip that she considered turning to medical school as a profession, to which Millichip asked Myles if the quality of roles in the industry was a reason as to why she stayed.

Myles answered: “Yes, I think that was a factor in a way. When you play someone as strong as Gwen Cooper, it’s quite difficult to come away from that or for other people to see you do anything differently.”

Myles has since starred in hit shows such as BBC One’s ‘The Guest’ as well as Acorn TV’s ‘The Crow Girl’.

S4C Chief Executive urges governments and tech companies to support discovery of Welsh content online.

Geraint Evans, Chief Executive of S4C, told the summit that “the future of our language, culture, and industry” depends on its online presence and discoverability and called on organisations to provide support to make that happen.

Evans exclaimed “If we want our public broadcasters to survive then we need to do more than applaud their work, we need to protect their visibility.

“So my call is clear to government, to Ofcom, tech platforms and partners. If we believe in a nation of many voices, if we believe the story of Wales matters, then you must deliver real enforceable prominence on digital platforms for the content that represents us all.”

The Wales Screen Summit is a vital platform for creators and producers of film and TV to network, collaborate and exchange essential knowledge as they scale their ideas in a complex global market.

Welsh Screen Summit 2025: S4C chief calls on tech companies to protect ‘future of our culture’