RTE to charge most expensive rate ever

RTÉ may earn close to €1.6 million in advertising revenue for advertising slots during coverage of Ireland's three World Cup group games in Japan. That amounts to around 40 minutes of World Cup airtime.

The station is charging €20,000 for a 30-second slot during the live coverage of the first three Irish matches.

Advertisers who want to get the audience before they've left the sofa or the bar stool will have to pay an additional €4,000 to be the first advertisement in the break. The same extra charge applies for the last advertisement in the break.

It's the most expensive rate ever charged by the station and media planner Ms Nuala Long at MCM estimates the breaks are more pricey than the famously expensive Superbowl advertising breaks on US television.

The Superbowl attracts in excess of 130 million viewers with an average 30-second spot costing $1.9 million (€2.05 million). According to Ms Long, on a cost per thousand viewers basis, the Ireland matches will be 200 per cent more expensive than the Superbowl. The price has not deterred media planners, who take a more lateral view when considering whether to roster their clients in World Cup breaks.

The view is that, despite the high cost, clients have to be part of the World Cup "environment" - sharing what presumably will be a memorable, upbeat experience no matter how the team performs.

It's just as well that advertisers aren't choosing to be scientific in figuring out the cost of World Cup advertising because, for the first three games, it will be difficult to get accurate audience measurement. Nielsen measures television ratings for RTÉ but its system only measures home viewing.

That's fine for the first match which is at 7.30 on a Saturday morning when it is relatively safe to assume that most viewers will be watching at home.

However, the next two matches are mid-week and timed for lunchtime, so it's an equally safe bet that a great deal of viewing will take place in pubs, clubs and workplaces.

Nielsen is likely to show that a little more than 50 per cent of the viewing population tuned into the first early morning Ireland game. Out-of-home viewers could bring that up to around 65 per cent although it's unlikely that even the most virulent World Cup fever would be strong enough to motivate significant numbers to leave their homes at that hour on a Saturday morning.

According to predictions by Mediaworks, the Nielsen panel will be way off in terms of audience measurement for Ireland's second and third matches. Mediaworks predicts Nielsen audience-ratings for those games will show around 30-35 per cent of adults tuned in.

When out-of-home viewing is factored in, Mr Paul Moran at Mediaworks suggests viewing could be as high as 80-90 per cent of the population.

Coverage of Ireland's endeavours will continue with repeats and match analysis and these are being sold through a separate package.

If Ireland qualifies for the next round, advertisers expect that the €20,000 record price for a 30- second spot will be broken with the same enthusiastic uptake.