connectivity, and premium experiences reshape demand as E&M revenues head for €8.2bn by 2030
Ireland’s <a href="https://comicvibe.com/cloud-ai-today-cloud-gaming-thrives-as-5g-fuels-traveler-entertainment/” title=”Cloud AI Today – Cloud Gaming Thrives as 5G Fuels Traveler Entertainment”>entertainment and media market set for steady growth
- Report
- August 31, 2026
Irish E&M Growth is shifting from scale to engagement
Ireland’s entertainment and media (E&M) industry is forecast to continue growing through 2030, led by service connectivity, internet advertising, and video-on-demand (VOD). But the story is bigger than growth alone. As digital markets mature and consumer choice expands, success will increasingly depend on how well organisations build deeper customer relationships, create more relevant experiences, and combine digital innovation with the human connections consumers continue to value.
of Irish E&M revenue came from service connectivity in 2025
forecast internet advertising revenue in Ireland by 2030
increase in Ireland’s video-on-demand revenue from 2024 to 2025
5G subscriptions forecast in Ireland by 2030
Growth is shifting towards deeper engagement
Ireland’s E&M industry is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.14% to 2030, reaching €8.2bn from €7bn in 2025. This represents steady growth in a market shaped by economic uncertainty, slower consumer spending growth, and increasing competition across both domestic and international providers.
Irish growth is being driven primarily by three areas: service connectivity, internet advertising, and VOD. Together, these point to a market that’s increasingly digital, data-led, and shaped by changing consumer behaviours. Connectivity remains the largest revenue contributor, while internet advertising is forecast to grow ahead of the global benchmark. VOD continues to expand, although the data suggests that the market is entering a more mature phase.
For Irish businesses, growth is becoming less about simply reaching more consumers and more about creating stronger, more valuable relationships with them. As customers move across platforms, devices, and formats, organisations need to think more carefully about how they engage, retain, and create value for audiences over time.
This is particularly important in an E&M market where digital adoption continues to rise, but demand for shared and in-person experiences remains resilient. The businesses best positioned for growth will be those that combine digital convenience, relevant content, trusted data, and memorable customer experiences.
Service connectivity remains the foundation for growth
Service connectivity, which includes fixed and mobile internet, accounts for 39% of Irish E&M revenues, making it the largest contributor to the market. Ireland’s service connectivity market reached €2.7bn in 2025, increasing 0.4% year-on-year, and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 2.2% through to 2030. This is slightly below the global CAGR of 2.3%, pointing to continued but modest expansion over the forecast period.
The Irish market remained mobile-led in 2025, with mobile service revenue accounting for €1.6bn and fixed services generating €1.1bn. This reflects the central role of mobile access in how consumers connect with content, services, and experiences. Fixed broadband also continues to grow, supported by fibre rollout activity and the National Broadband Plan.
A major change is also underway in mobile subscriptions. 5G subscriptions are expected to rise from six million in 2025 to 11 million in 2030, while 4G subscriptions are forecast to fall from five million to one million over the same period. This marks a decisive shift in how consumers access digital services and creates opportunities for richer, faster, and more personalised experiences.
For businesses, connectivity isn’t just an infrastructure story. It’s an engagement story. Faster, more reliable access changes customer expectations and raises the bar for digital experiences. Organisations should consider how improved connectivity can support better content delivery, seamless customer journeys, and new ways to engage audiences in real time.
5G overtakes 4G as the dominant connection method
Number of subscriptions per household
Advertising growth is becoming more intelligent
Internet advertising is one of the strongest growth areas in Ireland’s E&M market. Revenue reached €1.3bn in 2025, increasing 13.1% year-on-year, and is forecast to reach approximately €1.9bn by 2030. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% between 2025 and 2030, slightly ahead of the global CAGR of 7.2%.
This growth is being supported by digital advancement, changing consumer behaviour, and the influence of major digital streaming platforms. AI-powered personalisation is also enabling more targeted advertising, helping organisations reach customers with more relevant content and offers.
Paid search remains the largest internet advertising segment, generating €761m in 2025, while other display internet advertising generated €377m. By 2030, paid search is forecast to reach €1bn. Connected TV in-stream advertising is expected to record particularly strong growth, rising at a CAGR of 16.2% to €46.44m by 2030, reflecting increased online TV advertising across streaming platforms.
The opportunity for Irish businesses is to move beyond advertising as a channel and treat it as part of the wider customer experience. Better data, stronger audience insight, and more personalised engagement can help businesses improve relevance, build trust, and strengthen customer relationships. In a more competitive market, the ability to understand and respond to customer needs will increasingly determine advertising effectiveness.
Connectivity remains top of spending charts
Video-on-demand growth points to a maturing market
Ireland’s VOD market generated €334m in 2025, increasing 17.2% year-on-year. The market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% between 2025 and 2030, reaching €428m by 2030. While this remains a positive growth outlook, it’s below the global VOD CAGR of 6.1%, suggesting Ireland’s market is continuing to expand but beginning to mature.
Subscription VOD (SVOD) was the largest revenue stream in 2025, generating €280m, followed by advertising VOD (AVOD) at €30m and transactional VOD (TVOD), which includes one- off purchases or rentals of films or series from digital platforms, at €25m. VOD subscription engagement remained strong, with 2.4m subscriptions recorded in 2025. By 2030, growth is expected to be led primarily by SVOD, which is forecast to reach €358m, while AVOD is projected to generate €46m.
The subscription data reveals an important shift. VOD subscriptions are forecast to increase from 2.409 million in 2025 to 2.724 million in 2030, representing a CAGR of 2.5%. Annual revenue per subscription is also forecast to rise, indicating that future growth will depend on both modest subscriber growth and stronger monetisation of the existing customer base.
For businesses, this points to a broader lesson: as digital markets mature, customer acquisition alone is not enough. Growth will increasingly come from retention, engagement, personalisation, and value creation. Organisations that understand what customers value, and adapt their offerings accordingly, will be better placed to sustain growth.
Video on Demand Revenue by Segment in 2030
Digital growth still needs human connection
While digital adoption is reshaping Ireland’s E&M market, the data also shows that human connection remains a powerful driver of value. Ireland’s in-person experiences category, combining box office, live music ticket sales, and trade shows, generated €310m in 2025 and is forecast to reach €362m by 2030. This represents a CAGR of 3.2%, broadly in line with the overall Irish E&M market.
Despite a decline of 1.1% in 2025, the medium-term outlook for in-person experiences is positive. Box office and trade shows are forecast to grow at 4.4% and 4.3% respectively, while live music ticket sales are forecast to expand more moderately at 1.8%. This indicates resilient demand for physical experiences, with cinema recovery and trade show activity providing much of the category’s growth momentum.
This creates an important strategic tension for businesses. Consumers increasingly expect digital convenience, but they still value experiences that feel personal, memorable, and shared. The opportunity is not to choose between digital and physical channels, but to connect them more effectively.
For Irish organisations, this may mean using digital platforms to enhance live experiences, using data to understand audience preferences, or creating hybrid customer journeys that begin online and deepen through real-world engagement. The businesses that succeed will be those that combine technology with relevance, convenience with connection, and innovation with trust.
Fastest-growing and fastest-declining sub-segments by CAGR
What businesses should do now
AI is changing how organisations understand, reach, and retain customers. Businesses that use AI-powered insights, personalisation and content creation to deliver more relevant experiences will be better positioned to strengthen customer relationships and identify new
As consumers seek greater choice, convenience, and value, businesses should look beyond standalone products and services. Partnerships, bundled offerings, and connected customer experiences can help organisations reach new audiences, strengthen loyalty, and capture a larger share of customer spend.
While digital consumption continues to grow, demand for shared and in-person experiences remains resilient. Organisations should consider how they can combine digital convenience with memorable real-world interactions to build stronger brands and foster lasting customer connections.
Talk to us about what the outlook means for you
Our Entertainment and Media team can help you understand what these shifts mean for your organisation. From digital transformation and advertising strategy to customer engagement, AI, partnerships, and new business models, we can help you assess the latest outlook findings and identify where to focus next.
Ireland’s Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026–2030
AI, connectivity and premium experiences are reshaping demand.
Reinvention Leader, PwC Ireland (Republic of)
Director, PwC Ireland (Republic of)
