PERMANENT TSB HAS signed a two-year deal to be the main sponsor of The Late Late Show, ending one of the major commercial questions that remained ahead of the show’s return tonight. 

Renault had been the main broadcast partner of the show for eight years but a commercial agreement between the car manufacturer, RTÉ and Ryan Tubridy worth €75,000 per year to the former host was central to this summer’s pay controversy. 

Renault’s sponsorship deal with The Late Late Show had already lapsed at the end of the previous season of the show, with an RTÉ spokesperson telling The Journal last month that the partnership “had come to a natural end”. 

The Late Late Show returns with new host Patrick Kielty and RTÉ has this morning confirmed that Permanent TSB will be its sponsor for the 2023/24 and 2024/2025 seasons.

RTÉ has not provided details of the commercial value of the partnership but said in a statement that the sponsorship includes 730 advertising stings per season as well as further branding on the show’s streaming on the RTÉ Player. 

Hailing the agreement today, Permanent TSB’s Head of Customer and Marketing Stephen Jackson described the show as “a national institution”. 

“We’re delighted to become title sponsor of The Late Late Show, the world’s longest-running live chat show and a national institution, as it begins an exciting new chapter in the show’s history,” he said. 

Permanent TSB has proudly served Irish communities for more than 200 years and with over 1.3 million customers, we look forward to the opportunity to connect with customers nationwide in their homes each week. 

In today’s statement, RTÉ commercial bosses focused on the heritage of the programme, mentioning that the sponshopship will cover the “the 61st and 62nd season of this unique and iconic show”. 

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“We are really looking forward to the new look Late Late Show and the opportunity for our Sponsor to connect and engage with Irish audiences on a massive scale across RTÉ television and RTÉ Player,” said Dara Meaney, RTÉ’s Head of Sales. 

RTÉ’s TV Sponsorship Manager Ruth Kennedy described the Late Late Show as “an integral part of Friday night television, deeply embedded in the fabric of Irish households”.