RTÉ has said Patrick Kielty has "clearly connected" with viewers despite new figures showing a drop in numbers tuning in to his second Late Late Show.
The Co Down comedian, who took over as host of the long-running RTÉ One show earlier this month, welcomed guests including Ballymena-born actor James Nesbitt and model and media personality Vogue Williams to the studio for last Friday's broadcast.
However, figures show an average of 548,000 viewers watched the show, down from Kielty's debut show average the week before of 830,000. At its peak, the previous show had an audience of 934,000.
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An RTÉ spokesperson said the most recent Late Late Show remained the most watched programme on Friday evening, and had generated 68,000 streams on the RTÉ Player service.
"Following phenomenal interest in Patrick's debut as host of The Late Late Show, it's fantastic to see such a strong audience, a 51% share, for week two," the spokesperson said.
"Patrick has clearly connected with audiences and we look forward to bringing more of his inimitable style along with a few surprises in the weeks ahead."
