S4C Opens the Books: Cân i Gymru, Pawb a’i Farn and the Urdd Eisteddfod Go Out to Tender

Five of the best-known fixtures in Welsh-language television are going out to tender. S4C, the Welsh-language public broadcaster, has opened an open tender process giving production companies the opportunity to produce five of its flagship series and events in digital-first formats, C21Media reported. The process launches in October, and the tenders will cover the broadcasting period from 2028 onwards, Televisual reported.

The five commissions are Pawb a’i Farn, the current affairs debate programme; Cân i Gymru, the song contest; Eisteddfod yr Urdd, a week of live broadcasting from the Urdd Eisteddfod; Y Sioe and Y Ffair Aeaf, live broadcasts of the agricultural competitions at the Royal Welsh Show and the Winter Fair in Builth Wells; and Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol, the hymn singing and worship series (C21Media; Televisual).

Each of the tenders calls for a digital-first vision of an existing series or event, and the process forms part of S4C’s “More than a TV Channel” strategy (C21Media). Production companies will be able to submit bids for one or more of the contracts, so a single company could tender for one programme or for several of the five (C21Media; Televisual).

Llion Iwan, S4C’s Chief Content Officer, said: “The decision to open these commissions to tender reflects our commitment to maintaining a healthy, competitive and creative production sector in Wales. Each of these programmes holds significant cultural value and plays an important role in celebrating Welsh life, language and communities. We are looking forward to seeing proposals that respect the strength of these established brands while bringing fresh thinking and creative ambition for the future” (Iwan, via C21Media and Televisual).

The sourcing on the story is narrow, and it is stated plainly here: coverage of the tender has so far come from the television trade press, C21Media and Televisual, and BBC Wales has not reported it. Neither trade report gave deadlines for bids or values for the five contracts.

S4C — Sianel Pedwar Cymru, Channel Four Wales — launched on 1 November 1982 and was the first television channel aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience. The channel commissions its programmes from independent producers; BBC Cymru Wales also produces programmes for S4C as part of its public service remit, including the Newyddion news service (Wikipedia).

Pawb a’i Farn — the title translates as “Everyone’s Opinion” — is the channel’s current affairs debate programme (Televisual). A special edition in March 2026, made in partnership with the Urdd youth movement, gave an audience of more than 200 sixth-form and further-education students the opportunity to question politicians (Advanced Television).

Cân i Gymru — “A Song for Wales” — is a song contest in which, in Televisual’s words, “the best going head to head to win the crown for the best song in Wales.” The contest was first introduced in 1969, when BBC Cymru wanted to enter the Eurovision Song Contest, and it has taken place every year since, except in 1973. The winner of the contest represents Wales at the annual Pan Celtic Festival, held in Ireland, and is also awarded a cash prize (Wikipedia). The 2026 edition was held at the Anglesey Showground on Saturday, 28 February, presented by Elin Fflur and Trystan Ellis-Morris; the composer of the winning song received the competition’s trophy and £5,000, and viewers chose the winner by vote (S4C).

The Urdd Eisteddfod tender covers a week of live broadcasting from the festival, carrying all the competitions and coverage from the Urdd location (Televisual). The Urdd National Eisteddfod is an annual Welsh-language youth festival of literature, music and performing arts organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru, and is arguably Europe’s largest youth festival; it is usually held during the last week of May and alternates between north and south Wales, with competitive events for contestants aged between 7 and 25 (Wikipedia). Around 15,000 children and young people compete at national level, and the festival attracts around 90,000 visitors each year (Newport City Council; Cardiff University). Eryri will host the 2028 festival — the first year covered by the new tender — the festival’s first visit to the area in 16 years (MonFM).

Y Sioe and Y Ffair Aeaf are the live broadcasts of the agricultural competitions at the Royal Welsh Show and the Winter Fair in Builth Wells (Televisual). The Royal Welsh Show is organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and takes place over four days each July at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells in Powys, on a showground that has been the show’s permanent home since 1963; it attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually and is described as the UK’s largest agricultural show (Crimestoppers Wales; Wikimedia Commons).

The oldest of the five fixtures is Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol — “Start Singing, Start Praising” — the series of congregational hymn singing and worship. It is one of the longest-running television programmes on any British television channel: the first edition was broadcast by the BBC from Trinity Chapel, Swansea, on 1 January 1961, and the series moved to S4C in 1982. The programme inspired the creation of the English-language series Songs of Praise, which began later in the same year (Wikipedia). S4C marked the series’ 60th anniversary in 2021 (S4C).

Sources: C21Media; Televisual; Advanced Television; S4C; MonFM; Crimestoppers Wales; Wikipedia.