From The Irish Times September
It’s not quite the Super Bowl — where 30-second advertising slots in the US football game can sell for $6.5 million (€6.5m) — but in terms of the ad rates in the Irish market and the clamouring demand from brands looking to buy into the seasonal extravaganza, the Late Late Toy Show is our Super Bowl.
This year advertisers looking for the best slot — the first ad in the first break — will pay €86,125 for a 30-second ad. That includes three mentions on Ryan Tubridy’s radio morning show with a competition, an ad on the Sunday afternoon repeat and one on the frustrating though popular — not least among the diaspora — RTÉ Player.
And while rates have been rising for the station’s biggest audience grabber year on year — there was a 10 per cent jump between 2020 and 2021 — this year the top package on offer is the same price as in 2021.
Other bundles include the Gold package at €66.500 for a 30-second ad and the Premium at €64,000 which gives the advertiser first slot in the third ad break — the slightly reduced price an acknowledgment that by then some in the audience in their Toy Show pyjamas from Penneys might be drifting off to the kitchen for supplies to prepare for the next part of the marathon Christmas in November broadcast.
After those prime first-place slots in the breaks have been sold the rest are filled by ads sold at a “spot rate” — the price for these hasn’t been released yet but it’s thought, going on previous years, it could hover around €50,000 for 30 seconds…..