Mercedes-Benz renews Traitors Ireland car sponsorship

Mercedes-Benz Ireland has renewed its sponsorship of The Traitors Ireland, returning as official car partner for the show's second season on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, extending its association with one of RTÉ's highest-rated entertainment formats ahead of a season expected to draw even wider audience and advertiser interest. The deal, brokered by Core Sponsorship, was confirmed ahead of the season's autumn broadcast; sponsorship value was not disclosed. 

Mercedes-Benz Ireland is the Irish distribution arm of the German premium automaker, selling passenger and commercial vehicles through its dealer network nationwide. Financial performance for the Irish operation is not separately disclosed.

RTÉ is Ireland's national public service broadcaster, funded through the television licence fee and commercial revenue generated by RTÉ Commercial, which negotiates sponsorship across its television and digital properties. RTÉ does not publicly break out sponsorship revenue by individual deal.

The renewal signals confidence in a format graduating from a one-off entertainment sponsorship into a recurring, multi-season media property. Six graphite grey Mercedes-Benz GLC SUVs will again feature throughout the series, extending an integration built around the cars as an in-narrative device rather than conventional advertising.

The Traitors format has proven durable internationally, with successful adaptations already running in the UK, US and the Netherlands, giving RTÉ's Irish version an established audience template to build on for its second run.

For Mercedes-Benz, the renewal maintains brand association with a premium entertainment property at a moment when in-show integration is increasingly preferred over traditional ad breaks as viewing fragments across streaming platforms. For RTÉ Commercial, retaining a blue-chip automotive sponsor for a second season validates the show's commercial appeal ahead of its autumn return and strengthens the broadcaster's case for future sponsorship sales around its entertainment slate.

The move sits within a broader recovery in Irish sponsorship spending, forecast to grow 5% to €247 million in 2026, with premium entertainment and sport properties continuing to attract the bulk of that investment. Whether other Irish broadcasters can replicate this model with similarly format-driven, internationally proven properties will shape how much of that growth flows into content sponsorship rather than traditional spot advertising.

Source: BusinessPlus.ie / RTÉ / AdWorld.ie / Sport for Business