Ireland
In this article
Advertising in Ireland takes place across a compact but structurally distinct market of just over five million people. Ireland has its own audience currencies, its own regulation and euro-denominated pricing, separate from the United Kingdom even when the two markets are bought together. Core, Ireland’s largest agency group, estimates Irish advertising investment at 1.65 billion euros in 2025 (up 3.9 percent) and forecasts 1.75 billion euros for 2026. Digital dominates, but television, radio, print and out-of-home each retain meaningful scale and distinct buying routes.
At a glance: which channel for which objective
| Objective or situation | Most relevant section |
|---|---|
| Broad national reach, brand building | Television and video |
| Local or regional targeting | Radio and audio |
| Considered purchase, business audience | Print and news media |
| High-footfall environments, commuters | Out-of-home and cinema |
| Performance, social, precision targeting | Digital, platforms and retail media |
| Understanding what your agency earns | Media buying and transparency |
| Alcohol or gambling campaign planning | Regulation |
| Appointing or reviewing a media agency | Agency selection in Ireland |
Ireland had 5.26 million internet users in October 2025, equal to 98.9 percent of the population (DataReportal, Digital 2026 Ireland). That near-universal connectivity shapes every channel. Even traditional media owners now operate significant digital inventory alongside their legacy formats, and audience measurement is in active transition to capture combined viewing and listening across platforms.
Television and video
Ireland’s television market is built around three broadcaster families and a substantial UK opt-out segment. Advertising in Ireland on television reaches audiences primarily through RTE, Virgin Media Television and TG4.
RTE is the public service broadcaster, dual-funded through a 160 euro annual television licence and commercial revenue. It sells its own airtime through RTE Media Sales. In July 2024 the government decided to retain the licence fee and committed 725 million euros in total public funding for 2025 to 2027, covering licence receipts plus an exchequer top-up. In Budget 2027, announced in October 2026, RTE’s allocation was reduced by 20 million euros. The responsible minister linked restoration to the pace of RTE’s reforms, and subsequent reporting indicated the funding was likely to be restored. This remains unresolved at the time of writing. Core’s estimate places television advertising investment at 237.5 million euros in 2025, a decline of 6.8 percent year-on-year.
Virgin Media Television, owned by Liberty Global, is the main commercial broadcaster. Its portfolio includes Virgin Media One, Two, Three and Four, plus the streaming service Virgin Media Play, launched in September 2024. Airtime is sold by its in-house arm Virgin Media Solutions.
TG4 is the Irish-language public broadcaster, funded primarily by a direct exchequer grant and also carrying advertising.
A distinctive feature of the Irish market is that a significant share of viewing goes to UK channels with Irish advertising opt-outs. Sky Media Ireland sells Irish opt-out airtime on Sky and partner channels; Channel 4 sells its Irish opt-out airtime through its own sales house. Buyers planning a national television schedule therefore need relationships with at least four separate sales houses.
On streaming: Netflix announced in May 2026 that its ad-supported tier will launch in Ireland in March 2027. That is an announced target and remains subject to change. Prime Video advertising has not been rolled out in the Republic of Ireland at the time of writing.
Audience measurement
Ireland is managing two transitions simultaneously, affecting television and out-of-home measurement at the same time.
TAM Ireland is the television joint industry committee. Members include RTE, Virgin Media, TG4, Channel 4, Sky Ireland and Paramount, alongside the main buying agencies. Nielsen is the incumbent meter operator. In April 2026, TAM Ireland selected Fifty5Blue (the former Kantar Media, renamed in February 2026) to deliver a new television and online video measurement service from January 2028. The new service will be built on a 1,050 household panel using people meters and focal meters, covering TV sets, tablets, PCs and smartphones. At the time of the announcement the selection was still subject to completion of final contract negotiations. TAM Ireland also operates a total video panel with Nielsen in over 400 broadband households, reporting combined viewing shares that include streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube alongside broadcaster content.
Radio audiences are measured through JNLR, conducted by Ipsos. Out-of-home audience currency JNOR is being rebuilt: a new all-Ireland system, with research by Ipsos, is due to relaunch in 2026 with impacts as the core metric. For planning purposes, OOH measurement should be treated as in transition.
Radio and audio
Radio commands strong daily reach in Ireland, supported by a well-established commercial sector alongside the public service offering.
Bauer Media Audio Ireland is the largest commercial radio group, built on the acquisition of Communicorp (completed 2021) and Cork’s Red FM (completed 2023). Its stations include Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, Spin 1038, Spin South West, iRadio, Beat and Red FM. In the August 2026 JNLR release, Bauer overtook RTE as Ireland’s largest radio group by overall market share. RTE Radio 1 remains the single most-listened-to individual station, with airtime sold through RTE Media Sales.
Onic is News UK’s Irish radio division, renamed from Wireless Ireland in March 2025. Its stations include FM104 and Q102 in Dublin, 96FM and C103 in Cork, Live 95 in Limerick, and LMFM.
Core’s estimate places radio advertising investment at 157.7 million euros in 2025. Note that alcohol advertising on radio is subject to a broadcast watershed in force since January 2025, restricting it to weekdays between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. The regulation section below covers this in full.
Print and news media
Print investment in Ireland is concentrated among a small number of publishing groups, with digital revenue increasingly central to their business models.
Mediahuis Ireland (the former Independent News & Media, acquired by Belgium’s Mediahuis in 2019) publishes the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, Sunday World and Belfast Telegraph, and acquired magazine publisher IMAGE Media in July 2026. The Irish Times Group publishes The Irish Times and, since 2018, the Irish Examiner. Reach plc publishes the Irish Mirror and the Irish Daily Star, wholly owned by Reach since 2020. DMG Media Ireland publishes the Irish Daily Mail, the Irish Mail on Sunday and extra.ie.
In June 2026, Nordic media group Bonnier agreed a takeover of Business Post Group. The Journal, published by Journal Media, is a leading online-only national news outlet.
Core’s estimate places news media print advertising investment at 60.2 million euros in 2025.
Out-of-home and cinema
Out-of-home in Ireland is dominated by two media owners. JCDecaux Ireland operates large-format, street furniture and airport inventory. Bauer Media Outdoor, which completed its acquisition of Clear Channel’s Europe-North business (including Ireland) in spring 2025 and rebranded accordingly, operates a competing national network. Core’s estimate places out-of-home advertising investment at 95.1 million euros in 2025.
In February 2026, VIOOH and JCDecaux Ireland made roughly 32 percent of Irish digital out-of-home inventory available to programmatic buyers, accelerating automated trading for DOOH formats. PML Group and Talon Ireland act as out-of-home specialist planning and buying agencies; they are not media owners.
Cinema advertising is sold by Pearl & Dean Ireland, known as Wide Eye Media until 2022. Cinema inventory is modest in scale but well-suited to high-attention brand messages and entertainment campaigns.
As noted in the measurement section above, JNOR out-of-home audience data is being rebuilt and is due to relaunch in 2026. Current audience figures warrant appropriate caution when modelling reach.
Digital, platforms and retail media
Advertising in Ireland digitally is shaped by the country’s role as European headquarters for major technology platforms. Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn all base their European operations in Dublin. That means the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) acts as lead EU privacy supervisor for each of them. The DPC has issued major enforcement decisions: 1.2 billion euros against Meta in 2023 and 530 million euros against TikTok in 2025. GDPR, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act all apply to campaigns running in Ireland.
IAB Ireland’s Online Adspend study, compiled by research firm IRM (which replaced PwC as the appointed research firm in 2025), records digital advertising spend of 1.146 billion euros in 2025, up 8 percent, with video accounting for 39 percent of digital spend. These figures combine data submitted by participating publishers, sales houses and agencies with econometric estimates for platforms that do not submit data directly, including Google and Meta. This basis differs from Core’s market estimate, which is why the totals diverge. The two figures are not measuring the same perimeter and should never be treated as comparable.
Retail media is emerging as a distinct channel. Tesco Ireland has presented a retail media offering developed with dunnhumby, and IAB Ireland has published its first retail media report. The channel is at an early stage; no reliable scale figures are publicly available.
Media buying and transparency
Ireland is unusual among European markets: the market leader is not a global holding company network but the Irish-owned independent Core. In COMvergence’s 2025 ranking by assessed billings, Core was the largest agency group with 29 percent of assessed billings, ahead of WPP Media. Mindshare was the largest single agency, followed by Zenith and Starcom. Omnicom completed its acquisition of IPG in November 2025, reshaping the competitive rankings; GroupM now operates under the WPP Media brand.
Ireland has no statute comparable to France’s loi Sapin. Agency remuneration is entirely contractual, and there is no statutory disclosure framework governing volume-based payments or rebates. IAPI, the agency trade body, publishes media pitch guidelines. But volume-based payments, principal trading and rebates exist in this market and are ultimately a matter for contract terms and audit rights. In June 2023, Irish press reporting raised questions about volume-based payment practices in the market; RTE, whose commercial arrangements were referenced, rejected any suggestion of impropriety and no formal investigation followed.
Many international advertisers buy Ireland as part of a hub with the United Kingdom, typically at a UK holding company level. Ireland has its own audience currencies, its own regulation, euro-denominated pricing and a distinct competitive structure. That is why the market warrants distinct scrutiny even when bought jointly. Budget allocation, local rate benchmarking and contract terms all need to be reviewed at the Ireland level, not only at the hub level. For advertisers assessing the broader European picture, advertising in France and advertising in Germany each involve their own regulatory and transparency structures.
Regulation
Coimisiun na Mean, established in March 2023, replaced the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and now regulates broadcasting, video on demand and online safety. Its Online Safety Code was adopted in October 2024, with detailed provisions applying to designated video-sharing platforms since July 2025. Revised media services codes, including children’s commercial communications rules, were published in December 2024. In October 2026, Coimisiun na Mean opened a consultation on a new commercial communications code for broadcasting. That consultation is pending; the code has not been adopted.
Advertising self-regulation is administered by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) through the Code of Standards for Advertising and Marketing Communications (seventh edition, in force since 2016). The ASAI publishes influencer disclosure guidance in conjunction with the consumer authority CCPC.
Alcohol. The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 is being implemented in phases. Outdoor restrictions near schools, playgrounds and public transport have applied since 2019, alongside restrictions on events, sponsorship, children’s clothing and cinema. Since 10 January 2025, a broadcast watershed applies: no alcohol advertising on television between 3:00 am and 9:00 pm, and alcohol advertising on radio is permitted only on weekdays between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. The Act’s content restrictions and its rules for print publications have not been commenced. Mandatory health labelling has been deferred to 2028. All three of these provisions remain pending.
Gambling. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 created the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), established in March 2025. Licensing is being phased in during 2026: remote operators moved under the GRAI regime in the course of 2026, and in-person operators must transition by 1 December 2026. The Act’s advertising provisions had not been commenced at the time of writing. When commenced, they will include a watershed banning gambling advertising between 5:30 am and 9:00 pm; restrictions on gambling advertising on social media and on-demand services (limited to account holders of the service and, on social media, to those who follow the licensee); powers to regulate inducements; and a ban on sponsorship aimed at children. These provisions are adopted in the Act but not yet in force.
HFSS food. There are no statutory advertising restrictions on high fat, salt or sugar food advertising in Ireland. The regime combines the ASAI’s voluntary rules (adopted 2021) with the statutory children’s commercial communications code for broadcast.
Regulation changes frequently; verify the current status of any pending proposals before committing budgets.
Agency selection in Ireland
Choosing the right media agency matters more in a market of Ireland’s scale than in larger markets. The agency’s relationships with a small set of media owners directly affect what you pay and what you can access. The Ireland agency selection guide covers how to structure a review, which criteria to weight and how to benchmark proposals.
A focused agency review runs 4 to 8 weeks; a full competitive pitch typically takes 10 to 16 weeks. Either process benefits from independent guidance on scope, process and commercial negotiation.
Vendor-MGT works exclusively for advertisers, never for agencies or media owners. If you are entering the Irish market, reviewing your current agency relationship or benchmarking contract terms, contact Vendor-MGT to discuss how an independent review or media audit applies to your situation.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Irish advertising market, and why do the published figures differ? Two widely cited sources measure different things. Core’s estimate of advertising investment across all channels places the Irish market at 1.65 billion euros in 2025. IAB Ireland’s Online Adspend study, compiled by IRM, records digital advertising spend of 1.146 billion euros in 2025. The figures are not comparable: Core covers all channels on a market-estimate basis; the IAB Ireland figure covers digital only, using a combination of data submitted by participating companies and econometric estimates for platforms that do not report directly. Different perimeters and different methodological bases account for the difference. Do not add or compare them.
Can alcohol and gambling brands advertise in Ireland? Alcohol brands can advertise in Ireland, subject to restrictions phased in under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. A broadcast watershed has applied since 10 January 2025: no alcohol advertising on television between 3:00 am and 9:00 pm, and radio alcohol advertising is permitted only on weekdays between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. The Act’s content restrictions and print rules remain pending. Gambling brands can advertise under existing rules while the Gambling Regulation Act 2024’s advertising provisions await commencement. The GRAI is operational and licensing is under way, but the watershed, social media targeting restrictions and sponsorship ban had not come into force at the time of writing.
How is audience measurement organised in Ireland? Television is measured by TAM Ireland, currently using Nielsen as meter operator. In April 2026, TAM Ireland selected Fifty5Blue to deliver a new combined television and online video measurement service from January 2028, covering a 1,050 household panel across all screens. TAM Ireland also runs a total video panel with Nielsen across 400-plus broadband households that includes streaming services. Radio audiences are measured through JNLR, conducted by Ipsos. Out-of-home measurement is in transition: the JNOR currency is being rebuilt, and a new all-Ireland system with research by Ipsos is due to relaunch in 2026 with impacts as the core metric.
Who sells television airtime in Ireland? Four separate sales houses cover the main national television supply. RTE Media Sales handles RTE’s own channels. Virgin Media Solutions sells airtime across the Virgin Media Television channels. Sky Media Ireland sells Irish opt-out airtime on Sky and its partner channels. Channel 4 sells its own Irish opt-out airtime through its own sales house. A national television schedule in Ireland therefore requires direct engagement with all four.
