Record sales for 2020 Christmas RTÉ Guide

Christmas special bucks the trend in tough print media market

More than 270,000 copies of the bumper Christmas edition of the RTÉ Guide were sold nationwide last December, an increase of over 4% year on year

Catherine Lee, Managing Editor, RTÉ Guide says: “In a year like no other, this was a Christmas like no other. The RTÉ Guide Christmas issue continues to be a staple in Irish households, and the sales of the Christmas issue confirm that, despite the current global pandemic, the magazine endures and resonates more strongly than ever, and has grown and engaged with new audiences.

The Irish print industry has been under huge pressure this year, but despite challenging Covid restrictions in the retail sector, the Christmas issue remained an intrinsic and essential part of our shared Christmas.”

The RTÉ Guide collaborated with award-winning Dublin-based illustrator Tarsila Krüse for a second time on an original Christmas cover and children’s story. The story, which was woven throughout the issue, told the tale of a of family of rabbits snuggled up in their cosy home, socially distant from their rest of the family but never more connected. The colourful, heartwarming story struck the right chord with the Irish public at a time when nostalgia and the importance of friends and family were very much front of mind.

Working with Irish illustrators on the Christmas issue has become a new tradition for the magazine, and Tarsila is the 4th illustrator to work on the iconic issue; others included PJ Lynch, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick and Niall O’Loughlin, who won a Magazines Ireland Cover of the Year award.