RTÉ Programme Sales has sold two of its most successful lifestyle titles - Room to Improve and Cheap Irish Homes - to broadcasters around the world. It has also unveiled its MIPTV slate, which is headlined by two premium documentaries: Speechless and 100 Years of Ulysses.

In a string of deals closed in the run-up to MIPTV, RTÉ has licensed series 11 and 12 of Room to Improve - the latest season of which rolled out on RTÉ One in late February - to German free-to-air channel Sat.1 GOLD. TVR Romania has also acquired the first four seasons of the hit home-renovation show, which follows one of Ireland's most respected architects, Dermot Bannon, as he sets out to rescue and renovate old homes and design stunning new ones. The primetime show, which is also available on VOD via Amazon Prime, Tubi and Shelter, is also headed for Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus and South Africa's The Home Channel, which has picked up series 12.

Now in its 13^th season, Room to Improve continues to be one of Ireland's most successful lifestyle titles, both at home and abroad. The first two episodes of the new 4 x 60 mins series opened strongly for RTÉ One, pulling in a 34.6% and 38.4% share respectively. Last year, Channel 5 in the UK licensed all 12 seasons of the show, joining a list of international buyers that includes AMC Networks for Spektrum Home and Foxtel Australia.

RTÉ has also closed a trio of deals for Cheap Irish Homes, which has just been greenlit for a third series. The first two seasons of the show, which follows host Maggie Molloy as she helps house-hunters to find properties under the € 100,000 mark, have been picked up by US-based Glocal Media's Best of British Television channel, South Africa's The Home Channel and Aer Lingus. Cheap Irish Homes will also be available on VOD platform Amazon Prime.

Edel Edwards, RTÉ's head of programme sales, said: "In honesty, a show like Room to Improve sells itself - which doesn't mean to say that I'm not pleased and proud about this latest round of deals for RTÉ's top lifestyle show. Meanwhile, Cheap Irish Homes looks set to following in Room to Improve's footsteps, pointing not only to the global interest in Irish culture and design, but to our ability to turn our lifestyle into great entertainment."

The new series of both Room to Improve and Cheap Irish Homes will be headlining RTÉ's slate of successful lifestyle programming at MIPTV. Other top priories for Cannes include the 60-minute documentaries 100 Years of Ulysses and Speechless. The former, released to mark the 100^th anniversary of James Joyce's seminal work, takes viewers on a journey into the heart of one of the most influential novels of all time - a book that remains as powerful and relevant in 2022 as it was when it was in 1922. Speechless, meanwhile, explores the world of nonverbal autistic writer and poet Fiacre Ryan (21) who, until the age of 13, had no means of communication. Firebrand Productions' thoughtful and revealing film looks at the RPM (Rapid Prompt Method) technique that finally gave Fiacre his voice and allowed him to share his magical poetry with the world.

RTÉ Programme Sales' MIPTV line-up also includes the second season of Great Lighthouses of Ireland (4 x 60 mins), a visually spectacular series that examines Ireland's mastery of lighthouse engineering, its relationship with the sea and its centuries-old battle with the elements.

About RTÉ Programme Sales

RTÉ Programme Sales exploits Irish content across all genres, including drama, documentary and formats, offering distinctive, high-quality content for broadcast on content platforms of all types worldwide. RTÉ Programme Sales represents a network of top Irish producers, both in-house and independent, whose quality content attracts global audiences.

For further information please contact:

Cheryl Clarke at& Mushroom Media

Tel: +44 (0)7939554109

E: cheryl@mushroom-media.co.uk