Media & Marketing: If RTÉ decides at some point to jettison Pat Kenny as host of the Late Late Show it may have a ready replacement in Miriam O'Callaghan, based on the initial viewing figures for her summer chat show.
This week, advertising agencies were tripping over themselves to toast the performance of the show, titled Saturday with Miriam.
Last Saturday's show managed to attract 36 per cent of adults viewing TV on the night. The offerings on the other Irish channels at the same time only managed about 10 per cent viewing share. Based on figures from AC Nielsen, O'Callaghan's show managed an average adult viewership of 341,000.
Saor Communications, the Dublin agency said this was a "very strong performance for this time of the year". AFA O'Meara said in its weekly bulletin the show "performed very well" in audience terms.
Internally, RTÉ executives and planners will be comparing the figures with those achieved when Ryan Turbidy hosted a Saturday night chat show in the winter time.
According to AC Nielsen figures, this show managed an audience of 412,000 adults.
Saor Communications said comparing the two Saturday night shows demonstrated "just how strong Miriam's performance was". It said this was because viewing numbers were significantly lower in the summer months.
London response
Tragic events draw strong audience response.
When social and cultural commentators bluntly claim that people are no longer interested in news and current affairs, the assertion tends to go unchallenged.
However, the latest figures for viewing of news programmes in the wake of the London bombings would appear to undermine their thesis. For example, news ratings on RTÉ1 went up by almost 40 per cent on Thursday in the wake of the London bombings.
The 9 O'Clock News and News at One were watched by 38 per cent and 32 per cent more people respectively than normal.
During the 9 O'Clock News, 45 per cent of all people watching television were watching RTÉ 1. Dublin ad agency Initiative points out this week that ratings are not yet available for UK channels, but during events like this, there is usually a sudden surge of interest in Sky News.
A heated debate has taken place in recent days about the kind of coverage that accompanies atrocities like the London bombings.
For example, BBC and Fox News have been trading insults about their respective performances.
One Fox contributor said after the London bombings that "the BBC almost operates as a foreign registered agent of Hezbollah and some of the other jihadist groups".
This was described in turn by the BBC as "beneath contempt".
Separately, the BBC itself found itself in the unfortunate position of having to express regret for broadcasting "distressing" live pictures of a man being resuscitated in the immediate aftermath of the London bombings "by accident".
The corporation said the pictures were shown erroneously because it was rushing to get information on the event to viewers, but admitted the images should not have been shown.
Lions' TV ratings
The loss of three consecutive tests by the British and Irish Lions rugby team certainly left Sir Clive Woodward, the manager downcast.
But BSkyB which had the exclusive TV rights in Ireland and Britain, says it is happy with the outcome.
There is no doubt the disappointing form of the players did not help ratings, although neither did the Saturday morning kick-off times.
According to figures quoted this week by Saor Communications, last week's final third test match delivered 18,000 adult viewers, despite hopes among agencies the figures might reach the late 20's or early 30's.
"Despite this, the level of viewing did represent a 13 per cent share of all adults viewing TV last Saturday morning [ July 9th] which is a good share result. In terms of audience profile of these viewing 18,000 adults, over 55 per cent were in the affluent ABC1 category", the agency pointed out.
However Sky Ireland yesterday said the ratings were as good as those of a mid-table Premiership football match shown on Irish TV.
Heineken in Cuba
The US may still be imposing a trade and travel ban on Fidel Castro's Cuba, but that has not stopped some European brewers from going to the island to make their advertising campaigns.
This week, Heineken announced that its new Irish commercial had been shot in Cuba and Miami. The commercial was created by Dublin-based McCann Erickson and a €2 million investment has been made by Heineken. The campaign is airing on TV and in cinemas this summer. Of course Heineken enjoys an advantage over US peer brands Miller and Budweiser, which cannot make adverts in Cuba under US law.
Ryanair website
Ryanair has handed over its online advertising activity throughout Europe to LM Media, a subsidiary of UK firm Lastminute.com.
The deal will see LM Media selling advertising space on Ryanair.com over a three-year period. Ryanair's head of advertising and ancillary revenue, Santina Doherty said 98 per cent of Ryanair's 35 million flight bookings this year would be made via the website.
"This is the first time that Ryanair will offer space on Ryanair.com to advertisers and represents an unprecedented opportunity for advertisers to reach millions of consumers all over Europe," she said.
A few years ago, online advertising was barely measurable, but it is now the fastest growing segment of the market. Banner ads are particularly popular and Ryanair will be hoping these slots prove particularly lucrative.
