Should RTE sell the RTE Guide ?

Bella Doyle · 20-12-2018 12:26pm #1

It apparently still makes a decent profit so would it be a good idea to sell it for a windfall before it's too late ? How much would it fetch ?

expectationlost · 20-12-2018 8:12pm

Bella Doyle wrote: »

It apparently still makes a decent profit so would it be a good idea to sell it for a windfall before it's too late ? How much would it fetch ?

what would its worth to anyone else? only diminishing returns, when BBC sold it magazine division it had a whole slew of magazines in it.
article on RTE Guide here https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-rte-guide-is-surprisingly-still-going-strong-t3q2zdmfz https://mediasales.rte.ie/solutions/rte-guide/ $

I always wondered why people bought it, did they not buy a paper that has the tv in it? parents only get the RTE guide a xmas,

JTMan · 24-12-2018 9:17pm

The RTE Guide is a sunset publication, it is in terminal decline via drip drip annual declines as it's audience dies or moves to digital pastures.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations circulation figures for the RTGuide were 61,881 in 2012, 53,695 in 2014, 51,413 in 2015, 48,089 by 2016 and 45,861 in 2017. It is gradually dying.

In the Sunday Times article, they admitted that profits are becoming a struggle.

Should RTE sell it before it becomes unprofitable? or should RTE bleed it dry by hiking the cover price and reducing content size and quality in order to prolong the life of the publication before inevitable death? I would think the latter would be the better strategy.

L1011 · 24-12-2018 9:42pm

Who would buy it? There is a very small pool of Irish magazine publishers, all of which would be able to see the risks with it.

Jellybaby1 · 24-12-2018 9:57pm

We've always bought the RTE Guide because one family member wanted it, and another family member wanted the TV Times, so we buy both! Crazy I know, I'd like to give them up but as we don't buy any newspapers we find we use the TV magazines more. I don't even like the RTE Guide, and a lot of the personalities on the cover I don't even know who they are!

Jay Zee · 26-12-2018 1:25am

How is TV Now the poor man's rte guide still going? I never see anybody buying it.

Elmo · 26-12-2018 4:25pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

We've always bought the RTE Guide because one family member wanted it, and another family member wanted the TV Times, so we buy both! Crazy I know, I'd like to give them up but as we don't buy any newspapers we find we use the TV magazines more. I don't even like the RTE Guide, and a lot of the personalities on the cover I don't even know who they are!

They have put a few of international celebrities on the cover only to find sales drop. So they generally stick to well known Irish people. That’s according to their editor, I think I read it in the SBP.

Jellybaby1 · 27-12-2018 1:17am

Elmo wrote: »

They have put a few of international celebrities on the cover only to find sales drop. So they generally stick to well known Irish people. That’s according to their editor, I think I read it in the SBP.

Its the Irish personalities I don't recognise!

Jay Zee · 27-12-2018 1:37am

The biggest mistake RTE ever made was not selling 2fm during the Celtic Tiger years, they could have gotten 100+ million for it .

Prince William · 22-01-2019 2:03pm

The RTE guide now costs €2.10, you would have thought going over 2 Euro would put a lot of people off buying.

JTMan · 22-01-2019 2:29pm

Circulation is down from 130,327 in 2002 to 45,861 for 2017. Down about 66%. Some of the decline might be due to price rises but the majority of the decline is probably coming from old people dying and not buying it anymore as well as more and more people getting TV listings online and the migration away from linear TV to streaming.

Dakotabigone · 22-01-2019 2:31pm

Is Miriam contracted to be on cover for 6 editions per year minimum?

Elmo · 22-01-2019 3:24pm

Dakotabigone wrote: »

Is Miriam contracted to be on cover for 6 editions per year minimum?

Nuala Carey got that contract

DJIMI TRARORE · 22-01-2019 3:33pm

JTMan wrote:

Circulation is down from 130,327 in 2002 to 45,861 for 2017. Down about 66%. Some of the decline might be due to price rises but the majority of the decline is probably coming from old people dying and not buying it anymore as well as more and more people getting TV listings online and the migration away from linear TV to streaming.

Are those figures per month or per year

JTMan · 22-01-2019 3:36pm

Average circulation per issue.

L1011 · 22-01-2019 3:40pm

Also, all reception formats have 7 day EPGs available if you want; except for generic FTA satellite boxes. That has to have cut away over time. In 2002 analogue cable was the main multichannel reception format by a vast margin - ~20 channels and no EPG meant a paper TV guide was a must.

Prince William · 22-01-2019 5:05pm

It's a thundering disgrace that Larry Gogan isn't on the cover this week to mark his departure from 2fm and to mark the last time his name will be listed in the guide after 58 years.

JTMan · 21-02-2019 10:09pm

RTE Guide 2018 circulation numbers were released today. 43,195 for 2018. The decline continues. Circulation down from 130,327 back in 2002.

JTMan · 19-05-2019 7:23am

RTE have appointed KPMG to look at the future of the RTE Guide. Sale likely. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/montrose-bosses-chew-over-sale-of-beloved-magazine-rte-guide-6w5clkztz

Elmo · 19-05-2019 10:20am

JTMan wrote: »

RTE have appointed KPMG to look at the future of the RTE Guide. Sale likely. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/montrose-bosses-chew-over-sale-of-beloved-magazine-rte-guide-6w5clkztz

Yeah bizarre imo but RTÉ are really doing a bad job lately. Audiences down, home produced show cut, news axed, giving license fee to 2fm and so on, why not sell both RTÉ2 and 2fm?

Fat Sean · 24-06-2019 1:13am

According to the times Ireland, Enda O'Coineen owner of the sbp is interested in buying the guide. I read through the Guide for the first time in years recently and it's a very poor magazine, even as a tv listings magazine it's really bad, the cable/sat channels are all in small boxes and the layout of magazine is really dull, there are much superior TV listings magazines free with the tabloids on a Saturday.

JTMan · 24-06-2019 9:24am

Enda is taking one hell of a risk with this legacy print magazine where sales are collapsing into the sunset.

Layout of the TV listings is not that relevant. Their target market is old people who still watch linear TV and buy the magazine out of habit and don't use the internet.

Jellybaby1 · 24-06-2019 6:50pm

I'm old. So what's the best internet site to give me all the programme listings? I could do with saving the pennies I begrudgingly fork out for the Guide every week.

Elmo · 24-06-2019 7:39pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I'm old. So what's the best internet site to give me all the programme listings? I could do with saving the pennies I begrudgingly fork out for the Guide every week.

For the staff at the RTÉ Guide I refuse to answer that question, I have also written a hand written letter to Mr. Google to not allow any searches on his website to display TV guide.

Jellybaby1 · 25-06-2019 11:38pm

Elmo wrote: »

For the staff at the RTÉ Guide I refuse to answer that question, I have also written a hand written letter to Mr. Google to not allow any searches on his website to display TV guide.

So basically.......ask Mr. Google. Will do.

Elmo · 26-06-2019 11:55am

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

So basically.......ask Mr. Google. Will do.

This is why RTÉ are in the state that they are in, people ask Mr. Google willy-nilly, sit down watch Virgin Media News and Buy TV Now if you must!

A Teddy bear · 06-08-2019 6:26pm

Maybe a silly question but if it's bought by an new owner will it still be called the RTE Guide ?

JTMan · 06-08-2019 6:26pm

God yes. Brand recognition for the old dears who still buy this legacy print product is key.

A Teddy bear · 07-08-2019 1:39pm

The 2018 annual report from RTE said that it was a very challenging year for the RTE Guide and that's why they increased the price from €1.90 to 2.10.

07-08-2019 1:44pm

A Teddy bear wrote: »

The 2018 annual report from RTE said that it was a very challenging year for the RTE Guide and that's why they increased the price from €1.90 to 2.10.

Instead of justifying declining revenue with a price hike, pull it from circulation except for Christmas. A generation or two of nostalgic goodwill would keep an annual publication economically viable.

JTMan · 07-08-2019 1:53pm

Madness. The RTE Guide should continue to be published weekly until such time as it becomes unprofitable.

Should RTE sell the RTE Guide ?

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