Overview
RTÉ is moving early to monetise the runaway success of The Traitors Ireland by offering advertisers a tightly curated, premium-priced set of television and video-on-demand packages around the show’s second series, which the broadcaster says will return in autumn 2026. The details, first reported by AdWorld, show RTÉ combining high-value linear slots with guaranteed RTÉ Player inventory as it seeks to lock brands into the series’ cross-platform reach. (Source: AdWorld). https://www.adworld.ie/2026/05/26/rte-pitches-advertising-packages-for-second-series-of-traitors-ireland-at-premium-level/
What RTÉ is selling
RTÉ is pitching headline centre-break sponsorships as its flagship offering. The top-tier package is priced at €190,000 and bundles eight television centre-break spots, scheduled to cover both the opening and final episodes, with 500,000 impressions on RTÉ Player. A lower headline in-break bundle is on offer for €125,000 and also includes eight spots plus 500,000 Player impressions. For advertisers wanting a cheaper route into the campaign, an out-break/Uncloaked centre-break package is listed at €90,000, again with eight spots plus 500,000 Player impressions.
For single-episode placements RTÉ has set a premium grid around the most anticipated shows: a 30-second centre-break slot in the opening or final episode costs €26,000; centre-break positions in episodes 10 and 11 are €23,000; and centre-break placements in all other episodes are €21,000. In-break slots are priced at €16,000 for the opening and the final three episodes, falling to €12,000 for other episodes. Out-break slots are €10,500 for the opening and final three episodes and €7,500 for the remainder of the series.
RTÉ is also marketing dedicated RTÉ Player VOD inventory linked to specific episodes. For the opening, semi-final and final episodes advertisers can buy 200,000 impressions for €14,500 or 250,000 impressions for €18,000. Programmatic Player packages are set at 250,000 impressions for €15,000 and 500,000 impressions for €30,000. These Player-only rates imply a video CPM in the order of roughly €60 to €73 per 1,000 impressions, underlining the premium the broadcaster is charging for inventory tied to marquee episodes.
Audience credentials and context
RTÉ’s pitch rests on the first series’ strong consumption figures. The broadcaster reports that last year’s run delivered 2.1 million Irish adults on RTÉ One and 5.2 million streams on RTÉ Player, and that the series reached 47 percent of Irish adults aged 25 to 44. The show returns with Siobhán McSweeney as host and once again filmed at Slane Castle, a setting that has become part of the programme’s identity. For advertisers chasing demonstrable cross-screen reach, the combination of linear scale and substantial player viewing is RTÉ’s principal selling point. See RTÉ Player for platform context. https://www.rte.ie/player/
How advertisers should read the offer
There are two sensible ways to view RTÉ’s pricing. One is that the broadcaster is simply monetising a rare ITV-format hit in the Irish market and asking fair-market value for the scarcity of premium, appointment-to-view inventory. The other is that RTÉ, as a publicly funded broadcaster with a commercial sales arm, is benchmarking commercial inventory at levels that will test advertiser tolerance and campaign economics.
The bundled packages are attractive to brands that prize guaranteed impressions tied to specific episodes and a clear route to a younger adult cohort. That said, the headline Player CPMs are high compared with open programmatic video benchmarks. Brands will need to evaluate the incremental reach that RTÉ Player delivers over linear exposure and to model the likely uplift in engagement versus cheaper, more flexible digital buys.
Strategic implications for the market
RTÉ’s decision to front-load availability and publish definitive prices signals confidence that Irish buyers will pay up for scale and event viewing. It may also prompt rival sellers to sharpen their own premium inventory offers or to push harder on targeting and measurement to compete on value rather than headline prestige.
For media buyers the calculus is straightforward: if the campaign objective is mass reach across adults 25 to 44 and association with a culturally prominent property, these packages offer a direct route. If the objective is highly efficient CPM or hyper-targeted performance, the price points will require more justification.
Conclusion
RTÉ has placed The Traitors Ireland into the premium inventory class and priced its commercial packages accordingly. The bundle approach – television plus Player impressions – is commercially tidy and gives brands a clear proposition, but it comes at a premium that will force careful scrutiny from advertisers and agencies as they weigh reach against cost. The AdWorld report contains the full breakdown of rates and inventory. https://www.adworld.ie/2026/05/26/rte-pitches-advertising-packages-for-second-series-of-traitors-ireland-at-premium-level/
Source: AdWorld.
