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Late Late Show trims its broadcast slot to 90 minutes

Shorter run time as Patrick Kielty takes the chair but no change in advertising slots or rates

Incoming Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty will be on-air for about half an hour less than his predecessor. Photograph: RTÉ

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John Burns
Thu Aug 17 2023 - 11:32

The running time of the Late Late Show this season will be “approximately 90 minutes”, according to a spokeswoman for RTÉ. This means that when Patrick Kielty makes his debut as presenter on September 15th, he will be on-air for about half an hour less than his predecessor Ryan Tubridy. Further lightening the new presenter’s load is the reduced season – 30 episodes compared to usual average of between 35 and 37.

There should be no loss of revenue from RTÉ’s cash cow, however, at least on a per-show basis. “There will be four parts and three ad breaks – no change to last season,” the spokeswoman added.

The weekly average viewership with Tubridy at the helm was 421,000, roughly 40 per cent of the available audience. An uplift in viewers is expected for the first few episodes of the new season, with people curious to see how Kielty fares but advertisers are not being asked to pay a premium as yet.

“The cost for advertising within the Late Late Show starts at €12,200 per 30-second spot [rate card]. This has remained flat when compared to September 2022,” says Christina Duff, managing director of Core Investment, which is part of marketing communications company Core.

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“As TV viewership has been in continued steady decline year-over-year, there is a real challenge for Patrick and his team to ensure they do not lose any more than natural decline. This comes down to not only the quality of the presenter but the quality of the guests – arguably the most important factor when it comes to viewing figures for the show.”

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Duff added that agencies and advertisers are keen to see the new format of the show and if there will actually be any changes under Kielty. “We feel a shake-up would be welcomed,” she said.

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