Small ray of light for RTÉ TV ad rates in August
IN these gloomy financial times, there was a snippet of welcome news from RTÉ last week.
A note to advertisers from RTÉ Media Sales said “due to favourable trading conditions” RTÉ would be introducing updated pricing for TV ads for August. RTÉ Director-General Dee Forbes recently painted a grim picture of the broadcaster’s financial affairs in its submission to the Dáil Éireann Covid Committee, suggesting income would be down between 25pc and 35pc.
While there are signs the ad market is improving, it is not quite time to declare RTÉ’s troubles are over. There is always lower ad spending in the summer and the last four months of the year will be crucial.
“As recently announced, audiences have been tuning in to RTÉ in record numbers in recent months. In response to steady industry demand for advertising on RTÉ television in August, typically the smallest revenue month in the year, RTÉ has re-introduced a post AB (advance booking) rate for August bookings,” said an RTÉ spokesman.
Richard Curran, a columnist with the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent, is to co-host a new RTÉ One series Open For Business which starts this Tuesday. Produced by Coco Productions and sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Ella McSweeney will also present the show.
In the first week the programme will focus on one provincial town — Ennis, Co Clare — and see how small businesses have been coping with the slow, phased reopening of the economy.