RTE weekly soap opera, Fair City, is to receive a "substantial" amount of money in a sponsorship deal with the PMPA insurance company. This is the first time drama has been supported in such a way. Neither RTE nor PMPA would say how much the deal is worth, but sources indicated that it may be as much as £500,000. Fair City is to be screened twice weekly this autumn. It is currently one of RTE's top-rated shows, with 1,500,000 people watching every week.
RTE's head of marketing, Mr Colm Molloy, told The Irish Times that sponsorship accounted for 1.5 per cent of RTE's income. It was a legitimate source of income, but RTE was not seeking to increase sponsorship dramatically. It had to be careful about making the schedule too commercial, he said.
As far as RTE was concerned, this deal endorsed Fair City and the strides it had made. It was an Irish drama, made in-house by RTE, with Irish actors and crew.
The marketing director for PMPA, Ms Karen Flynn, said the sponsorship gave PMPA access to a mass audience at prime time. It associated PMPA with a successful programme, gave PMPA a good image and was cost effective.
PMPA will have four exposures - at the start of the programme and the beginning of the commercial break, at the end of the break and at the end of the programme. Featured will be a black cat, which will move from the home to the car, in order to remind viewers that PMPA offers home, car and other insurance products.