TV3 opens up ‘Red Rock’ soap to product placement

TV3 is to turn its new soap opera Red Rock into a feast of product placement, offering advertisers the opportunity to promote other brands via the twice-weekly programme.

The soap, which will loosely revolve around a Garda station in a fictional Dublin harbour town, is due to launch in January 2015. TV3 is understood to be seeking an overall sponsor, while it has also told the advertising industry that Red Rock will feature a café and a retailer.

A bus shelter may be used in scenes and serve as advertising space within the fictional soap town, while a vending machine will be visible on screen if a confectionery or soft drinks brand takes the broadcaster up on the product-placement offer.

The producers are also seeking a “clothing partner” for the show.

At a briefing in Dublin this week, Red Rock show- runner Peter McKenna and one of the producers, Ed Guiney of Irish production company Element Pictures, updated the advertising industry on their plans for the soap, which will employ about 100 people. Mr Guiney has described its launch as "the biggest opportunity in a generation on Irish TV".

He says Red Rock, made by Element in conjunction with UK production house Company Pictures, will be "representative of a modern Ireland".

TV3 will use Red Rock to recover lost advertising revenue from next year when the rights to Coronation Street and Emmerdale switch to UTV Ireland.