RTÉ Announces Over 200,000 Downloads of News Now App

RTÉ is delighted to announce over 200,000 individual downloads of its award-winning RTÉ News Now App. This is a significant download milestone for the app which was launched a little over 12 months ago to provide iPhone and iPod Touch users with the latest news, business, sport and entertainment stories from RTÉ.ie. RTÉ has since expanded this popular app to other platforms and 7% of the total downloads recorded are on the Android platform.

The app, which was developed by RTÉ Publishing, the division of RTÉ which has responsibility for new media brands, won the Grand Prix at Ireland's first ever Appy Awards last November, as well as the award for Best Media App and Best Apple App. It delivers text updates and allows users to watch 11 live daily RTÉ News bulletins. These include two short mid-morning bulletins, the One O'Clock News, Six One News and Nine O'Clock News, two afternoon bulletins, Nuacht, News with Signing, News2Day for children and the late headlines.

Users can also access all local and European weather bulletins as well as marine forecasts and a variety of current affairs programmes, such as Prime Time and The Frontline. Election 2011 on RTÉ will be covered extensively with news bulletins, live results from all constituencies and count centres and a series of extra programming including a simulcast of Morning Ireland, Ireland's most popular current affairs radio show.

January 2011 also saw unprecedented audience figures across RTÉ's further digital services. January saw the RTÉ Player's best ever month with 2,505,726 streams served. While RTÉ.ie, inclusive of its GAA and News Now apps, delivered over 100 million page impressions for the first time ever.

RTÉ Publishing Executive Director, Muirne Laffan, said, "Since we launched our News Now App in January 2010 we have worked hard to continue developing dynamic and innovative content which works in tandem with how people live their lives today. People want swift, comprehensive access to up-to-the-minute news and we're delighted that they obviously feel they get that from the RTÉ News Now app."