Ad space for sale in Christmas RTÉ Guide amid ‘challenging’ conditions

RTÉ has begun its preparations for the festive season by inviting brands to take out advertising space in this year’s Christmas RTÉ Guide amid “challenging” market conditions for the magazine.

The organisation, which remains under a political spotlight following its payments scandal, is hoping to drum up advertiser interest in commercial offers including loose inserts placed within the title, sponsorships across its lifestyle section and an opening three-page gatefold.

RTÉ will again work with an Irish illustrator for an original piece of cover art for the “iconic” bumper issue, which will go on sale on December 11th, the offer to advertisers states.

RTÉ’s annual report for 2022, published last week, revealed that the circulation of the RTÉ Guide, Ireland’s top-selling magazine, fell 10 per cent last year in line with the estimated market contraction.

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The listings, celebrity and lifestyle magazine’s total copy sales of 1,657,000 across 2022 included a 9 per cent decline in sales of the flagship Christmas issue, which sold 240,600 copies.

Advertising revenue for the weekly RTÉ Guide also declined year on year, “as the magazine advertising market proved challenging”.

The magazine’s circulation slipped just 1 per cent in 2021, outperforming the estimated market drop of 8-10 per cent, while advertising sales rebounded after a pandemic plummet. The Christmas issue sold 265,000 copies that year, down 2 per cent.

Although total RTÉ Guide sales fell 3 per cent in Covid-struck 2020, the Christmas issue was boosted by lockdown and saw a 4 per cent jump in circulation to about 271,000.

Printing and related costs increased 14 per cent to €1.12 million in 2022 as paper prices “fluctuated wildly upwards”, but revenue was “aided” by a cover price increase in November. A “small reduction in paper costs” is expected in 2023.

The magazine’s print run of 300,000 copies and audience reach of 1.5 million adults make it “the biggest print offering on the market”, RTÉ reminded commercial clients.

The Christmas and New Year edition, which has “a four-week shelf life” in shops over the festive season, will be backed by television and radio promotional campaigns and targeted social media advertising, and will be “fully supported at retail level” to ensure maximum copy sales.

Total commercial revenue at RTÉ rose by €3.8 million to €152.1 million last year. The television advertising market has proven subdued throughout the first half of 2023, however, while the dual-funded broadcaster has been plunged into crisis by a fall-off in licence fee sales and renewals since it admitted misstating the remuneration of former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy.

RTÉ has yet to announce a new sponsor for The Late Late Show, which returns to air on Friday with Patrick Kielty as host, after Renault opted not to renew its deal.

Members of the board of RTÉ are scheduled to appear before the Oireachtas media committee on Wednesday.