Renault Ireland is the new sponsor of The Late Late Show, following Sky Broadband's decision not to renew its deal for a third year. Renault is understood to have paid a high six-digit sum to RTÉ for its one-year sponsorship.
"Television plays a big part in our marketing strategy and we believe that sponsoring The Late Late Show is a great way of talking to our key audiences," said Renault Ireland's Patrick Magee.
The show, now in its 54th season, is “a Friday night institution in Irish homes”, Mr Magee added. The car company previously sponsored the programme from 2001 to 2006.
The Late Late Show will be back on RTÉ One from Friday, September 4th, with Ryan Tubridy hosting his seventh season. Larry Masterson, who was most recently in charge of The Saturday Night Show, will oversee it on its return, as executive producer Kathy Fox is on maternity leave.
An average of 611,800 viewers watched The Late Late Show last season, delivering an average audience share of 42.2 per cent.
Among 15-34-year-olds, it attracted a 29 per cent share.
The sponsorship deal also covers The Late Late Toy Show. The 2014 edition of the toyfest was both the most-watched programme on Irish television last year and so far this century, attracting almost 1.6 million viewers.
Nation talking
The Late Late Show
, which incorporates everything from celebrities’ chatter to current affairs debates in its marathon running time, “gets the nation talking”, according to RTÉ Media Sales.
In its sponsorship offer document, it highlighted “top tweets” from the @RTÉLateLateShow Twitter account that referenced guests such as rugby player Ronan O’Gara, actor Liam Cunningham and the band Kodaline.
Renault is expected to use its sponsorship to promote its new Kadjar model. One for everybody in the audience?
