Ryan Tubridy may have taken a hefty pay cut, but accumulated profits at the media firm owned by the RTE star still increased almost four-fold to €227,661 last year.
According to accounts just filed by the Late Late Show presenter's firm, Tuttle Productions Ltd, to the Companies Office, the firm's accumulated profits last year increased by €167,215 – from €60,446 to €227,661.
The figures show the company’s cash pile grew from €117,806 to €239,583 in the 12 months to the end of August last year.
The period covers four months of 2011 when Tubridy was RTE's highest earner, taking in €723,000 for presenting the Late Late Show and his Monday to Friday 2fm morning show.
The Dubliner – who is not an RTE staff member, but a contractor – took a 31 per cent paycut last year, reducing his earnings to €495,000 in 2012.
Income at the firm also includes revenues generated by Tubridy's stints at BBC Radio 2, where he has stood in for Graham Norton.
In an interview earlier this year, Tubridy – who turned 40 this year – confirmed he was willing to take a further cut to his salary at RTE.
He said: “I have delivered every time a knock has come on my door for a pay cut. I have taken at least 32 per cent already. I will not be found wanting. I never have in the past and I won’t be in the future.”
The figures show that Tuttle Productions Ltd last year paid €23,250 in corporation tax that followed a tax bill of €1,005 in 2011.
Tubridy’s salary is funded between licence fees and commercial revenues – the latest figures available show RTE took in €167.3 million in commercial revenues in 2011 on top of licence fee revenue of €183.6 million.
RTE yesterday declined to say how much Tubridy's Late Late Show generates in revenues each year through advertising and commercial sponsorship.
However, The Late Late Show was the most watched programme in Ireland in 2012 – its annual toy show drew 1.45 million viewers.
The programme’s 50th anniversary show last June was the fifth most watched show last year.
An RTE spokeswoman said: “There were 30 Late Late Shows and the average viewership for the 2012-13 season was 625,600.”
