J. G. Navarro
Research expert covering advertising and marketing with a focus on South America
Advertising in Ireland – statistics & facts
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The Irish advertising industry has continuously grown since the pandemic, and that is bad news for ad agencies across the island. The ad expenditure in the Republic of Ireland will exceed an estimated 1.5 billion euros in 2024, growing by over four percent; therefore, above the European average. Still, ad agencies' revenues in Ireland were projected to decrease in the early 2020s, barely accounting for half of the total ad spend. This results from an increasing number of advertisers avoiding third parties and purchasing media directly. In other words, programmatic advertising, which is forecast to grow by over one-third between 2023 and 2028, surpassing 1.2 billion euros in the latter year.
Those figures cannot ensure a prosperous future for all traditional ad media. Irish TV ad spending will decline for the third consecutive year to an estimated 235 million euros in 2024. In 2019, before the pandemic, the annual value stood at 232 million euros. Radio, however, is expected to thrive, albeit modestly: 1.8-percent growth rate in 2024, reaching almost 158 million euros. The internet far outpaces such offline channels. Digital ad revenues in Ireland rose over 11 percent in 2023 to 958 million euros.
Online advertising in Ireland: The expansion is only beginning
Apart from cinema – which is still recovering from lockdowns ranking among the longest in Europe – only two other ad channels were predicted to experience double-digit growth rates in 2024: digital audio and online video. Both also recorded increase rates above 10 percent in the previous year. Still, they have a long way to go among audiences. During a 2023 survey, little more than one-third of responding Irish adults reported seeing ads on video portals. Less than one in five said they listened to spot commercials through music streaming services or podcasts. For comparison, TV commercials' reach in Ireland exceeded 50 percent in 2023, while radio ads achieved a higher share than a platform like YouTube.Those figures cannot ensure a prosperous future for all traditional ad media. Irish TV ad spending will decline for the third consecutive year to an estimated 235 million euros in 2024. In 2019, before the pandemic, the annual value stood at 232 million euros. Radio, however, is expected to thrive, albeit modestly: 1.8-percent growth rate in 2024, reaching almost 158 million euros. The internet far outpaces such offline channels. Digital ad revenues in Ireland rose over 11 percent in 2023 to 958 million euros.
