Dancing With The Stars is likely to get another spin next year as RTÉ confirmed this year's series of the hit show enjoyed a rise in viewing figures.
The eighth series of the celebrity dance contest concluded last Sunday, with Olympic pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan winning the Glitterball along with his pro-dance partner Laura Nolan.
And RTÉ insiders are hopeful it will be back again in 2026, with 24,000 more people tuning in this year compared to last.
A station spokeswoman confirmed the latest season averaged 486,000 viewers across its 11 episodes, equating to 41% of the overall TV audience.
That was up on the average of 462,000 who watched series seven, won by Jason Smyth and Karen Byrne. Though expensive to produce, the glitzy show is a lucrative advertising earner for the cash-strapped station.
An RTÉ source said it is a case of 'fingers crossed' the show will be back next January. They told the Irish Mail on Sunday: 'The viewing figures are fantastic, everybody's really happy with it.
'It was an absolutely fantastic cast and crew, and they were all such a pleasure to deal with.' The source added that while final decisions are not made until later in the year, there is no apparent reason to cancel the ratings hit.
Series eight has been streamed 580,000 times so far on the RTÉ Player, which is a 25% increase on last year's numbers. RTÉ says it is a particularly 'big hit' with audiences aged 15-34, capturing a 44% share of that viewing cohort.
