Spotlighting Welsh-language media innovation.

From innovative formats and groundbreaking storytelling to immersive experiences and new digital tools, Media Cymru has supported a wide range of Welsh-language research and development (R&D) projects, helping creatives explore new ideas, technologies and experiences in the media sector.  

One of the most ambitious Welsh-language R&D projects supported by Media Cymru was led by consortium partner S4C, exploring how Welsh language public service broadcasting could thrive in an increasingly digital world. Media Cymru has also supported innovation across the screen sector, including Afanti’s net-zero initiative, Afango, which successfully powered an S4C production at the Urdd Eisteddfod using Welsh green hydrogen, battery technology and low-carbon energy solutions.

Ahead of this year’s National Eisteddfod in Y Garreg Las next month (1–8 August), we are shining a spotlight on innovations which are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within Welsh-language media. Some of the innovators behind these projects will be joining us at Cardiff University’s stand at the Eisteddfod on Friday 7 August (10am – 4pm). Festival goers are invited to take part in their live demos and R&D testing.  

Storytelling Innovation 

Slam Media: Y Deis  

Slam Media developed and tested new technology for a gameshow and created an original Welsh-language format resulting in an S4C commission for Y Deis (aired in 2025).  

Hosted by Welsh TV presenter James Williams, the show delivers a thrilling blend of knowledge, strategy and a little luck. The format was created by Gavin Cox of Slam Media, inspired by his late father’s career designing fruit machine games.

The format has already attracted international interest, with Irish broadcaster TG4 acquiring rights to create a 10-episode Irish language version. Y Deis has also been re-commissioned for a second series by both S4C and TG4.

Rondo Media: Rownd a Rownd Vertical Drama 

Rondo Media is exploring Vertical Drama production as a digital first extension of the long-running Welsh-language IP Rownd a Rownd.  

Outcomes have included pilot episodes, as well as an audience research report and a strategic framework to support the future commercial development of digital-first Welsh-language drama. 

Watch the new episodes: We will be showcasing the new episodes of the Rownd a Rownd vertical drama on our stand at the Eisteddfod between 12-2pm. Come and see it!

Slam Media: Seren ‘Deche’

Slam Media is developing Seren ‘Deche’, a comedy parody series following Iwan Owen, a Welsh star with the mindset of an A-list celebrity navigating life in the Welsh media.  

The project satirises Welsh culture, inflated egos, and the reality of fame on a small scale in Wales.  

Combining scripted and unscripted comedy, the format blends planned storylines with improvisation, allowing performers to respond to moments in real-time.

Meet the team: Osian Thomas from Slam Media will be joining us from 3pm on our Cardiff University stand at the Eisteddfod to talk about the R&D behind the project and its innovative approach to storytelling. 

Immersive Innovations

Creu Tech: Artio 

Artio is a Welsh immersive storytelling experience that reimagines the Arthurian legend through an ecological and feminist lens. Combining original music, audience interaction and immersive visuals, the work invites audiences to co-create a living myth – shaped in real time through movement and sound. Original music for the experience was composed in both Welsh and English. 

Led by Creator and Producer Ashley McAvoy and Creative Director Klaire Tanner, Artio was developed through the Media Cymru Outernet Challenge Fund and was showcased last year at Outernet London, one of the world’s most advanced real-time media environments.  

The project demonstrates how music-led storytelling, immersive visualisation and audience interaction can combine to create scalable immersive experiences for venues worldwide. 

Artio was also presented at Cannes Film Festival Immersive Marketplace this year and is now entering the next phase of development as a touring immersive experience, exploring how Welsh stories can reach new audiences.  

Meet the team: Klaire Tanner, Creative Director at CreuTech, will be joining us at 2pm on our Cardiff University stand at the Eisteddfod to demonstrate a VR prototyping tool used during the development of Artio.  

S4C Digital Media: Bringing live interactive music events to the living room 

In 2025, S4C partnered with ground-breaking immersive live events company Condense to host the first ever Welsh language immersive reality gig. The event explored new formats to engage young Welsh-speaking audiences with music experiences. 

The live performance was captured by broadcast cameras and streamed instantly into a virtual environment as holograms. Audiences attended as avatars, interacting with Welsh music performers (Dom and Lloyd), in real time and experiencing the event live from home. 

Tech and AI Innovation 

Y Pod Cyf.: Llais

Y Pod Cyf. has developed Llais, an AI-powered Welsh language lip-syncing tool, synchronising Welsh and English video content. The technology is creating new services for training and corporate video markets and TV production companies to reach wider audiences and expand content distribution.  

The project explored how AI can be integrated responsibly and effectively into existing post-production workflows. It demonstrated that the technology could enhance efficiency and increase distribution opportunities, while still relying on human expertise to deliver high-quality results. 

Meet the team: Aled Jones from Y Pod Cyf. will be joining us at the Eisteddfod at 10am to demonstrate the Llais tool and showcase its potential for Welsh language media.  

ATGOF

ATGOF is an AI-assisted production app that helps cast and crew working on script-based TV productions to access and share information when they need it.   

Designed for departments including wardrobe, make up, art and production, the platform replaces the need for paper-based processes by enabling teams to share scripts, schedules, call sheets and continuity information in real time.  

The tool has already been adopted by Welsh productions including Rownd a Rownd and more recently on Pobol y Cwm, helping productions work more efficently while supporting sustainability through paper-free workflows. 

Triongl: SgrînPas  

SgrînPas is an innovative digital tool for productions that began as a Digital Access Passport concept, aimed at improving accessibility and inclusion across the screen sector. During the R&D process, Triongl expanded the idea into a wider production platform that places accessibility and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations at the heart of production workflows. 

Built on Triongl’s existing script distribution platform, Sgript, the tool enables productions to gather anonymised EDI data from the start of a project. It has also introduced features such as AI-generated easy-read documents and tools for managing dietary, health and access requirements throughout production, helping cast and crew access key information in one place. 

The platform has been successfully tested on Welsh-language high-end TV productions for S4C and ITV and continues to evolve, helping create more accessible, efficient and inclusive working environments while streamlining production workflows. 

Innovation in Communities and Welsh Language Engagement 

Lily Pad Films: Cysylltu: Welsh Connection  

Cysylltu explored interactive video, including AR, VR and XR, alongside immersive theatre to provide creative opportunities for Welsh language learning and to strengthen community connection. The project also explored ways to provide early-career training for under 16s in Rhondda Cynon Taff (RCT).  

Following the success of their R&D, two further phases of development have been funded by Arts Council Wales and Pen y Cymoedd Vision Fund. Building on existing work, they are developing interactive games and experiences for Welsh language learning.  

They are also working with RCT’s Youth Engagement and Participation Service to provide new opportunities for young people in the area.

Newyddion i Bawb

Newyddion i Bawb is an extension of Media Cymru’s funded News for All project, looking into how communities across Wales might inspire new forms of journalism.   

Led by News Innovation Research Fellow, Shirish Kulkarni, the project was supported by AHRCs Community Innovation Practitioner Award.   

Working with Welsh speaking communities in Blaenau Ffestiniog and with a range of partners including S4C and Creative Wales, Newyddion i Bawb used creative facilitation and participatory design techniques to better understand what local people want and need from their information ecosystems.   

In a media environment increasingly disrupted by AI and platform power, the project explored what it would take for communities to make sense of the world together, on their own terms.  

Outputs from Newyddion i Bawb, including a podcast that weaves together both English and Cymraeg, will be shared later this year. 

These projects are just a selection of Welsh language innovations supported by Media Cymru. We have also collaborated with broadcasters S4C, BBC and Channel 4 on a range of innovative content funds, supporting the development of Welsh language content and talent within the sector.  

We will be sharing further innovation stories throughout the year as part of our showcasing programme and in September Media Cymru will host PLAYBACK, a three-day festival of innovation in Cardiff. The event brings together a vast range of R&D projects exploring game-changing new products, services and experiences for the media sector in Wales. To learn more about Media Cymru’s impact on the sector and the projects driving sustainable, inclusive and global innovation, register for free tickets to PLAYBACK.