Former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh and Brian Ormond are to host TV3's Christmas Toy Show as the station looks to build on last year's numbers.
The broadcaster is close to securing a sponsor for the event and an announcement can be expected very soon. It’s understood sponsorship from the toy show is worth in the region of €50,000, which includes the lead-up to the show itself.
A TV3 spokeswoman said it will be aiming to beat last year's viewing figures which saw the 90-minute show reach over 1.1 million viewers and pull in an average of 472,100 with a 28.16 per cent audience share.
Last year, it was hosted by Brian McFadden and Karen Koster, and took place live from the RDS. This year, it will air from the TV3’s HD studio in Ballymount.
Growth of the station's online audience during the Rugby World Cup was positive after the relaunch of the 3 Player and it is hoping to build on that success with the toy show.
During the World Cup, there were over one million streams on the player and more than 80,000 new app downloads. User sessions increased by 153 per cent, and unique views increased by 83 per cent.
“Even though it’s much smaller revenue, it represents real growth for us in terms of customers,” said the spokeswoman.
“We’ve recruited a large number of eyeballs during the Rugby World Cup so there is potential there. The app allows for live viewing, so we’re hoping the toy show might grow those numbers even further.”
