RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon to end after three seasons
RTÉ has confirmed its Monday night television series Upfront with Katie Hannon has ended and will not be returning in September following three seasons on air.
Presented by Katie Hannon, the audience-centred weekly live current affairs show was first launched on RTÉ One television in January 2023 and featured a weekly panel of four guests and an audience of up to 40 contributors.
In a statement, Katie Hannon said: "I'm very proud of what we achieved on Upfront. We managed to buck the international trend and actually grew our audience on linear television and our digital footprint.
"It was a privilege to work with our small team of talented and hardworking colleagues led by our editor Janet Traynor. I also want to thank all of those who came into our studio and trusted us with their stories and contributed to the national conversation on the issues that matter to all of us.
"I'm disappointed that we won't be able to keep that conversation going."
Ms Hannon will continue as one of the key anchors of RTÉ's Behind the Story podcast, which drops three times a week and which is planned to launch daily later this year.
She will also present a new television series in the lead up to the presidential election in October.
Other employees from the show will continue working with RTÉ News & Current Affairs.
In a statement, RTÉ said that new strategic priorities highlight the need to "serve audiences beyond traditional linear TV schedules and meet the needs of younger, underserved and underrepresented audiences".
The broadcaster added that that the decision to wrap production has been made "due to the prioritising of people and financial resources", as the organisation incurs significant change and becomes smaller.
In its most recent series, which aired from 24 September to 25 May, Upfront with Katie Hannon was watched by an average of 198,000 viewers, a 25.8% audience share, up from an average of 168,000 and 23.7% in series two.
Similarly, the series grew on the RTÉ Player, attracting 269,000 streams in series three, from 209,000 in series two.
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