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The business case for “The Late Late Toy Show … Live!” shows that RTÉ was trying to capitalise on the “lucrative Christmas gifts market” by creating a show that could result in new merchandise sold to parents of small childrenRevenue was projected of more than €2m per year from the project, but it went onto lose €2.2m in 2022
The business case for “The Late Late Toy Show … Live!” shows that RTÉ was trying to capitalise on the “lucrative Christmas gifts market” by creating a show that could result in new merchandise sold to parents of small children.
The ill-fated production, which was originally expected to return millions of euro for RTÉ, went on to lose over €2.2 million.
The business case for the controversial musical had long been sought by the Dáil’s spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee. On Thursday morning, TDs were finally sent the document which features a picture of Ryan Tubridy and a Toy Show cast on the cover. It said that the production would be a fully seated 90-minute production, featuring the “young stars of the Late Late Toy Show”.
The business case claimed that the Late Late Toy Show delivers a “significant boom” for TV ratings and advertising, it leaves a “sizeable, untapped, surplus of demand” after the show is over which is then met by “Christmas events beyond the gates of RTÉ.”
“It behoves RTÉ, culturally as well as financially, to carve out a space in this market and meet the demand of families, school groups and the lucrative Christmas gifts market,” it said.
The original business proposal suggested that families who bought tickets would also get access to a Toy Show Experience, a “built world” using the sets, costumes and previous from previous Toy Shows – including what would have been the most recent Toy Show. The audience would be photographed “on the Toy Show,” in sets and costumes. “Imagine the magic of Switzers Christmas windows circa 1985 – for the little ones, right through to Lego installations / computer game experiences for the older ones,” the business case said. None of this was included in the final production.
The production, which was originally envisioned to take place “post-Covid” in December 2021, was pitched as a production for children who had suffered through the first year of the pandemic in 2020. “Nothing was normal anymore in 2020. But, amongst all the rubble of uncertainty two unbreakable promises were fulfilled, both, remarkably, by children,” the pitch for the multi-million-euro project said.
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“Firstly, schools returned to daily lessons. Order was restored! Secondly, the Late Late Toy Show continued, uninterrupted and unabated. Joy was restored!”
The business plan boasted that RTÉ had the advantage of a “brilliant and well-developed script/concept” by Late Late Show producers Jane Murphy and Katherine Drohan – who also prepared the business case alongside the former director of strategy Rory Coveney. Joe Csibi and Mary Sexton of the RTÉ concert orchestra also worked on the business plan, while former senior executive producer of Riverdance Julian Erskine assisted with costings.
The business plan also boasted of RTÉ’s “unrivalled” marketing power. It said that RTÉ had “Ireland’s largest TV, radio, online and social channels at disposal for event promotion” and a “proven track record in delivering large scale events.
RTÉ would go on to blow its marketing and press budget for the show, spending in excess of €339,000 despite having only planned to spend €156,000. Most of this was spent on blanket advertising, in an attempt to save the production that was performing very poorly at the box office.
RTÉ thought that it would run the production each Christmas, and even tour it across Ireland. “This has the potential to become a significant branding and audience engagement tool nationally and touring productions will enhance RTÉ’s presence in all provinces,” the plan said.
The business case said there would also be food, drink and merchandise stands and other “consumer opportunities.”
A vastly optimistic business plan drawn up for the musical envisaged it making millions of euro for years on end. Three years of summary financials, show total revenue projections in year one of €2,084,120, year two of €2,124,120 and year three of €2,254,278.
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