RTÉ’s commercial division recorded a 4% decline in pre-tax profits for 2025, reaching €11.33 million after losing earnings from its former partnership with the GAA. The financial report, submitted by RTÉ Commercial Enterprises DAC, also showed revenues fell by 6.5%, or €1.3 million, to €18.58 million compared with 2024.
The withdrawal of a €487,000 profit share from the GAAGO joint venture, now operating as GAA+, explains the shortfall. RTÉ sold its stake in GAAGO to the GAA in February 2026 for €3 million, but the locked-box agreement prevented any profit share from being recorded in 2025.
Digital Player Licensing remained the division’s top revenue source, generating €7.9 million last year. However, this figure was slightly lower than 2024 due to the expiration of one licensing agreement. Meanwhile, revenues from phone-in and text competitions stabilized after years of decline linked to reduced audience participation in TV contests.
International programme sales experienced a sharp drop in 2025, reversing a 90% surge in 2024. That earlier growth had been driven by exports of series like Love/Hate, Smother, and The Clinic. The directors attributed the 2025 decline to a return to more typical sales levels after the exceptional performance of the previous year.
Sales of the RTÉ Guide declined by 7%, in line with the broader trend of falling print media circulation. Higher pricing helped mitigate some losses, with the Christmas edition alone accounting for 200,000 of the 1.33 million copies sold in 2025. The division also reduced operating costs by 15%, cutting expenses from €8.57 million to €7.25 million.
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