![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
Number One Programme of the Year to Date
-Over 1.7 million people watched across the weekend
-Over 3.6 million Raised for Toy Show Appeal
-Record-breaking 550,000 RT Player Streams from 147 countries
-26.2 million video views across Social Media for #LateLateToyShow
To Whom It Concerns
RT 's Elf-themed Late Late Toy Show slayed its mission of spreading Christmas cheer for all to hear, raising an incredible 3.6 million for the RT Toy Show Appeal, sleighing straight in as the most-watched programme of the year and breaking records on RT Player with those watching in Ireland and around the world. Our toy demo kids also helped spread the cheer beyond RT platforms, with #LateLateToyShow generating an enormous 26.2 million video views and 2.2 million interactions on social media.
Average TV viewing for Friday night's show is now over 1.7 million, including catch-up viewing on Saturday and Sunday. As host Patrick Kielty channelled Buddy the Elf in his debut Toy Show, audiences from an unprecedented 147 countries worldwide streamed the annual extravaganza which this year featured over 170 performers from around the country including unforgettable toy demo kids such as County Clare's Sheamie, sport loving Stevie from Kilkenny, and Tipperary's Sophie who raced to the studio in time for Patrick to surprise her with a magical trip to Disneyland.
Host Patrick Kielty said: I'm still coming back down to earth from an amazing night last Friday. I want to express huge thanks to everyone who helped make this year's Late Late Toy Show so special. To all of you who watched, to the brilliant kids who brought their magic and put a giant smile on all of our faces. And, to every last one of you who gave so generously to our Toy Show Appeal - you have made a massive difference to so many children's lives - thank you! Being part of it is something I will never forget - a forever night!
The Irish diaspora worldwide stayed connected with home through RT Player from a record-breaking 147 countries including first-time streams from Cameroon, British Virgin Islands, Rwanda, Sierra Leon, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Almost a quarter of live streams on Friday night were from outside Ireland making the show the most-watched programme on RT Player for 2023 with figures continuing to grow. There was a 97% increase on UK RT Player streams up from 33k in 2022 to 65k in 2023, with streams in more than doubling in Northern Ireland.
The Late Late Toy Show 2023 highlights on The Late Late Show YouTube channel garnered over half a million views and counting, with Toy Show icon Sheamie and the Irish Rugby Surprise featuring in the top trending YouTube videos across Ireland over the weekend.
The Christmas cheer was felt far and wide with the #LateLateToyShow generating an enormous 26.2 million video views and 2.2 million interactions on RT 's social accounts with the hashtag trending on Friday night and over the weekend on TikTok and Twitter.
There was enormous love across social for the younger stars of the night with Stevie's performance of Ireland's Call generating 4.8 million views across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, while Sheamie's words of wisdom to Patrick, and Sophia's backstage performance of her rap won fans on all platforms.
Once again, audiences responded with huge generosity towards the RT Toy Show Appeal, which saw over 3.6 million donated by viewers to help children's charities across Ireland in the year ahead. This brings the total amount of funds raised by the Appeal to over 21 million since the inaugural RT Toy Show Appeal in 2020.
On the over 3.6 million raised from the RT Toy Show Appeal since Friday night, Denise Charlton, Chief Executive, Community Foundation Ireland said: The extraordinary generosity of Toy Show viewers will ensure the magic continues long after the Christmas decorations come down. Hundreds of thousands of children will have their lives transformed. There will be more essential supports including food, clothing, therapy as well as health and wellbeing services. In addition, play and creativity will become more accessible to all. The Foundation will work with leading child advocates and our partners in RT to begin the process of distributing the Toy Show fund to every county. For now, our message to viewers is Thank You!
The Late Late Toy Show with Irish Sign Language (ISL) was also available live on Friday night on RT Player and RT News, with over 13,000 streams to date and growing. Patrick Kielty's opening performance inspired by Elf was on RT One and with ISL was the most-watched moment from the show with viewers bowled over by the show's many young performers. Matilda star Alisha Weir, Sheamie and Bundee Aki and Peter O'Mahony's surprise visit were the Top Moments of the night. Patrick's meeting with our ISL elf Amelia was the most watched Irish Sign Language moment of the night.
Alan Tyler, Head of Entertainment, Comedy and Music said: We are delighted that Patrick's first Late Late Toy show has connected so well with the audience. It is a testament to the hard work of the whole team who put together a truly unique and special show which brought the nation together, and, we hope, delivered a little Christmas magic to homes right across Ireland and across the world. All of us on the show owe a huge thank you to the audience whose generosity in donating to the Toy Show Appeal is both remarkable and humbling. It will make a real difference to children's lives throughout the year.
More from RTE
06/09/2024
The series will return to four episodes a week from Friday September 20th
Who will escape the flames? | Fair City | RT One & RT Player
This month marks a ...
06/09/2024
How will you Culture Night with RT ?
RT Radio 1: Sunday Miscellany Special f...
03/09/2024
How different is everyday life in the North of this country, compared to the Rep...
02/09/2024
Netflix UK & Ireland has acquired RT Factual's in-house docudrama The Nobod...
02/09/2024
Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on YouTube
This September RT is delighted to support the Arts Council's Culture Night initiative ...
02/09/2024
Dubliner Florence Okojie announced as RT news2day presenter
First time television presenter Florence Okojie aged 23 from Dublin is the newest addition to th...
30/08/2024
RT - in collaboration with Ireland's independent production sector - will d...
26/08/2024
RT One's acclaimed natural history series, Ireland's Wild Islands, has ...
23/08/2024
Joseph Hoban has been announced as RT 's new Head of Communications, Marketi...
22/08/2024
RT Statement
In a note to RT staff today (Thursday 22nd August 2024), RT Director-General, Kevin Bakhurst confirmed as follows:
Dear colleagues,
I would l...
21/08/2024
Over half a million viewers tuned in to RT One and RT Player to watch the 2024...
21/08/2024
Over 100 hours of television coverage on RT 2
500 hours of live action over 4...
21/08/2024
Every game from Women's UEFA Euro 2025 live on RT 2 and RT Player
UEFA Nations League and Euro 2025 play-off games live
As new Republic of Ireland Men...
15/08/2024
RT 's radio services reach over 2 million adults* or 48% of the adult population every week with gains for all RT stations
RT holds 17 of the top 20 radi...
13/08/2024
Figures from RT 's extensive Olympic Games coverage show that the public took Team Ireland and the 2024 Games straight to their hearts, tuning in to RT for...
07/08/2024
Last night's Women's 60kg Olympic Boxing final from Roland Garros, which...
06/08/2024
This August, RT is delighted to support National Heritage Week, celebrating Ireland's built, cultural and natural heritage, with events taking place right ...
01/08/2024
This August, RT is set to premiere a new range of documentaries on television f...
01/08/2024
RT is today publishing a statistical summary from the Register of External Activities for the first quarter of 2024.
The RT Register of External Activities (...
29/07/2024
Scannal celebrates two decades of trusted storytelling with
Scannal 20 Bliain
...
29/07/2024
Over 350,000 streams on RT Player
Yesterday's All Ireland Senior Football ...
25/07/2024
RT has rights to broadcast the 2024 Olympic Games in the Republic of Ireland only. RT is not permitted to broadcast the 2024 Olympic Games in Northern Ireland...
24/07/2024
Commenting, Director-General of RT , Kevin Bakhurst said:
RT welcomes today&...
23/07/2024
AVERAGE AUDIENCE UP OVER 200,000 ON LAST YEAR'S FINAL
Clare's thrilling...
22/07/2024
Church received four separate complaints of childhood sexual abuse against Bisho...
19/07/2024
Cuirfidh RT craoladh ioml n i nGaeilge ar f il beo n taobhl ne ar na cluich c...
19/07/2024
Coverage of all 17 days across TV, Radio and Online following Team Ireland's...
15/07/2024
2FM has teamed up with the Road Safety Authority (RSA), the Gaelic Players Association, the FAI, the IRFU and a host of Irish musicians to record road safety me...
15/07/2024
RT PLAYER STREAMS MORE THAN TRIPLE FOR UEFA EURO 2024 VERSUS 2020 TOURNAMENT
9...
15/07/2024
Are you going to the Fleadh? RT will be there.
WATCH our promo
Wexford Town will host the Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil na h ireann 2024 and, as traditional musici...
09/07/2024
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of journalist, Shane Curraigh n, as Northwest Correspondent. Shane will be reporting and providing analysis ac...
04/07/2024
RT Investigates and the Sunday Independent announce major new joint investigati...
03/07/2024
RT will present comprehensive coverage of the UK General Election 2024 results on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th July across digital, television and radio platfor...
02/07/2024
RT is seeking expressions of interest in presenting single or double header roles on RTE 2fm.
RT 2FM's primary purpose is to provide relevant speech, mus...
02/07/2024
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Tommy Meskill as its new London Correspondent. Tommy has been a journalist with RT News for eight years, mos...
01/07/2024
Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on YouTube
This July, RT is delighted to support a fantastic array of events around the country. In Ga...
28/06/2024
Over 250 hours of Olympics coverage and over 100 hours of Paralympics coverage
Two new series on our Irish Olympians' journey
At an event in RT today, ...
28/06/2024
4.2 million streams last week with Player on track to break 2023 records
RT Pl...
27/06/2024
3.6million in 122 grants to benefit 1.1million children in every county in Irela...
25/06/2024
Former RT journalist Tommie Gorman has died at the age of 68, his family have announced. After 41 years, Tommie signed off from RT News for the final time in ...
25/06/2024
RT Raidi na Gaeltachta today announced the death of legendary sport broadcaste...
20/06/2024
First episode airs Thursday June 27 at 10:15pm and features Rhasidat Adeleke, Ge...
14/06/2024
Anna Geary and Sonia O'Sullivan go head-to-head for the first time
It's set to be one of the most competitive seasons to date on Ireland's Fittest ...
13/06/2024
All 51 games live and free-to-air
45 games live on RT 2 & RT Player plus 6 final group games on RT Player & RT News channel
RT Sport team includes new si...
12/06/2024
Hidden cameras capture horses being repeatedly hit and punched around the head
Images show a horse too weak to stand being prodded with a pitchfork
Major...
11/06/2024
RT took home Torcs in the current affairs, history, live music, single document...
10/06/2024
Hidden camera footage captures systematic abuse of horses
This Wednesday & Th...
07/06/2024
A NEW PODCAST SERIES FROM RT DOCUMENTARY ON ONE
FEATURING EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO CARRIE JADE WILLIAMS
LISTEN TO TRAILER HERE
In 2021, a 32-year-old English wom...
06/06/2024
Prime Time's report tonight examines the failures of the Charities Regulator...
06/06/2024
RT has announced details of comprehensive elections results coverage across digital, television, and radio platforms beginning this weekend. After the public h...