How do you select and manage a media agency in Ireland?

Selecting a media agency in Ireland means working with one of Western Europe’s most distinctive small markets: a concentrated ownership structure, currency transitions in both television and out-of-home measurement, fast-moving broadcast regulation and a market leader that is not a global holding company. The right agency knows all of this. Your selection process should verify it.

Ireland is a market where local knowledge genuinely changes outcomes. The Irish advertising market is estimated at 1.65 billion euros in 2025, rising to a forecast 1.75 billion euros in 2026 (Core’s estimate of advertising investment). Digital spend reached 1.146 billion euros in 2025, up 8 percent year-on-year (IAB Ireland’s Online Adspend study, compiled by IRM). For context on how Ireland fits within European advertising as a whole, the Advertising in Ireland: the media landscape overview covers the broader picture.

The general principles of agency selection are covered in the generic guide on media agency selection, which sets out the full process from brief to contract. This article focuses on what Ireland specifically requires.

Four things to test when selecting a media agency in Ireland

Ireland is not simply a smaller version of the UK. Four areas differentiate a genuinely capable Irish agency from one that treats the market as an add-on.

Commercial transparency in a market led by an independent

Ireland is unusual among European markets. The largest agency group by assessed billings is Core, an Irish-owned independent, with 29 percent of assessed billings in COMvergence’s 2025 ranking, ahead of WPP Media (now rebranded from GroupM). Mindshare is the largest single agency, followed by Zenith and Starcom. Omnicom completed its acquisition of IPG in November 2025, which has reshaped the Irish rankings.

Ireland has no statutory equivalent of France’s loi Sapin. Remuneration is governed entirely by contract terms. IAPI, the agency trade body, publishes media pitch guidelines; these are the reference standard for any structured selection. Volume-based payments, rebates and principal trading exist across markets and are a matter for contract terms and audit rights.

Many international advertisers treat Ireland as an add-on to a UK and Ireland hub, which can blur where value actually lands. In your pitch, ask candidates to disclose all volume-based income by medium and whether it is passed back. Ask how Irish buys are separated from UK group deals: what is bought from Dublin versus London, and at whose rates. Ask each agency to follow the IAPI pitch guidelines explicitly.

Measurement fluency during a double transition

Selecting a media agency in Ireland in 2027 means selecting one that can navigate two currency transitions simultaneously. TAM Ireland (the joint industry committee) currently uses Nielsen as its television measurement operator. In April 2026, TAM Ireland selected Fifty5Blue (formerly Kantar Media) to deliver a new television and online video measurement service from January 2028, built on a 1,050 household panel with people meters and focal meters across TV sets, tablets, PCs and smartphones. At announcement, the selection was subject to final contract completion. TAM Ireland also runs a total video panel with Nielsen in over 400 broadband households, reporting streaming services including Netflix and YouTube alongside broadcaster viewing.

Radio is measured by JNLR, conducted by Ipsos. Out-of-home currency is being rebuilt: the JNOR audience metric is due to relaunch in 2026 with impacts as the core metric, following research by Ipsos. Netflix announced in May 2026 that its ad-supported tier launches in Ireland in March 2027; Prime Video advertising had not been rolled out in the Republic of Ireland at the time of writing.

Ask candidates how they will trade and track performance across the change of TV currency provider planned for January 2028, how they handle the OOH currency relaunch, and how they will evaluate new Netflix ad inventory in its first year without established local benchmarks.

Video and audio planning across local players and UK opt-outs

Ireland’s video landscape combines domestic public and commercial broadcasters with UK channels that carry Irish advertising opt-outs. RTE is the public broadcaster, dual-funded, and sells through RTE Media Sales. Virgin Media Television, part of Liberty Global, sells through Virgin Media Solutions. UK channels with Irish opt-outs are sold through Sky Media Ireland and Channel 4’s own sales house. TG4, the Irish-language public broadcaster, also carries advertising.

Radio consolidation has accelerated. In the August 2026 JNLR release, Bauer Media Audio Ireland (Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, Spin, iRadio, Beat, Red FM) overtook RTE as the largest radio group by market share. Onic, News UK’s Irish division (renamed from Wireless Ireland in March 2025), operates FM104, Q102, 96FM, C103, Live 95 and LMFM. RTE Radio 1 remains the single most-listened-to station. For a full account of how radio and audio advertising work in Ireland, the channel-level detail is covered separately.

Out-of-home ownership is concentrated between JCDecaux Ireland and Bauer Media Outdoor, which acquired the former Clear Channel Ireland operation in 2025. In February 2026, VIOOH and JCDecaux Ireland made roughly 32 percent of Irish digital out-of-home inventory available programmatically. Cinema is sold by Pearl & Dean Ireland.

Ask candidates what access and rates they actually achieve across RTE Media Sales, Virgin Media Solutions, Sky Media Ireland and opt-out inventory. Ask how they balance the Bauer, RTE and Onic audio groups, and how they maintain leverage in a concentrated out-of-home market. The dynamics of out-of-home advertising in Ireland are worth reviewing before you write that section of your brief.

Compliance in a fast-moving regulatory environment

Two sectors face significant restrictions, and the rules are still developing. 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 only on weekdays between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Content restrictions, print publication rules and mandatory health labelling (deferred to 2028) remain pending.

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 created the regulator GRAI, established in March 2025. Licensing is being phased in during 2026. The Act’s advertising provisions, including a 5:30 am to 9:00 pm broadcast watershed, social media restrictions, inducement powers and a children-focused sponsorship ban, had not been commenced at the time of writing. Plans made now must anticipate their introduction.

Coimisiun na Mean, established in 2023 to replace the BAI, regulates broadcasting, video on demand and online safety. In October 2026 it opened a consultation on a new commercial communications code for broadcasting, which remains pending. Self-regulation sits with the ASAI, which publishes influencer disclosure guidance alongside the consumer authority CCPC. Ireland also hosts the European headquarters of Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn, with the Irish Data Protection Commission as their lead EU privacy supervisor.

Ask each candidate for its clearance process for alcohol and gambling campaigns, how it monitors the commencement of the gambling advertising provisions, how it follows the Coimisiun na Mean code consultation, and how it ensures influencer campaigns meet disclosure guidance.

Four contract points for the Irish market

Once you have selected an agency, the contract is where selection commitments become enforceable obligations. Four areas matter particularly in this market.

Audit rights: full audit rights over media buys, including volume-based income, free space and any group-level deals with RTE Media Sales, Virgin Media Solutions, Sky Media Ireland and the major platforms. After the Omnicom and IPG merger and the WPP Media rebrand, verify which group entity your contract actually binds.

Transparency schedule: itemised disclosure per medium of rebates, volume-based income, free space and payment terms, with UK and Ireland hub allocations split out. The IAPI pitch guidelines are the reference standard.

Data and technology ownership: the advertiser owns its data, ad accounts, seats and log files. Exit clauses must guarantee handover without friction.

Performance framework: KPIs tied to the Irish industry currencies (TAM Ireland, JNLR, JNOR), an agreed approach for the planned January 2028 change of TV measurement provider and the JNOR relaunch, and remuneration structured to reward outcomes rather than volume.

Managing the agency relationship after signing

A signed contract is not a finished project. In a small, concentrated market, the relationship between advertiser and agency needs active governance to stay honest.

Quarterly business reviews give both sides a regular forum to assess performance against the agreed KPIs. Annual independent benchmarking of net prices is particularly relevant in Ireland, where sales houses are few and buying leverage is easily eroded. Escalation paths and re-tender or review cadence should be agreed at the start, not negotiated when something has already gone wrong.

Shortlists need not be limited to holding-company agencies. Core, the market leader by assessed billings, is an Irish-owned independent. The best-fit agency for your brief may not be a global network, and ruling one out on that basis alone would be a mistake.

Closing: structured support for your selection

A full pitch process in Ireland typically runs 10 to 16 weeks from brief to signed contract. A focused review of an incumbent, or a more limited scope, typically runs 4 to 8 weeks. The Pitch by Vendor-MGT is a structured process for both: independent pitch management and incumbent review, paid by the advertiser, with no media buying of its own.

Frequently asked questions

Can I manage Ireland from a London hub, or do I need a local Dublin agency? Ireland has its own industry currencies (TAM Ireland, JNLR, JNOR), its own euro pricing, and its own regulation, including the alcohol broadcast watershed and the forthcoming gambling advertising provisions. Opt-out inventory on UK channels is sold through separate Irish sales houses. A London hub can cover Ireland operationally, but you need to verify that the agency has genuine Dublin relationships, that Irish buys are not bundled into UK group deals at UK rates, and that euro-denominated pricing is tracked separately. Some advertisers find a dedicated Irish agency gives them cleaner access and accountability.

How is the Irish advertising market measured? Television is currently measured by TAM Ireland with Nielsen as the operator. In April 2026, TAM Ireland selected Fifty5Blue (formerly Kantar Media) to deliver a new service from January 2028, subject to final contract completion. Radio is measured by JNLR, conducted by Ipsos. The out-of-home currency JNOR is being rebuilt, with a relaunch due in 2026 based on impacts as the core metric. Digital spend is tracked by IAB Ireland’s Online Adspend study, compiled by IRM.

What does a pitch process look like in terms of time? A well-structured, full pitch process typically runs 10 to 16 weeks from brief to signed contract. A focused review, covering an incumbent or a narrower scope, typically runs 4 to 8 weeks. These are realistic bands from experience; every engagement is scoped individually. A longer runway almost always produces a better result, particularly for commercial negotiations in a concentrated market.