Key Takeaways
- • Ireland's entertainment and media (E&M) market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.14% through 2030, reaching €8.2 billion from €7 billion in 2025, representing steady expansion despite economic headwinds and intensifying competition.
- • Service connectivity dominates Irish E&M revenues at 39% of total market share in 2025, while internet advertising is projected to reach €1.9 billion by 2030 and video-on-demand (VOD) revenues increased 17.2% year-over-year from 2024 to 2025.
- • 5G infrastructure expansion supports long-term growth, with 11 million 5G subscriptions forecast across Ireland by 2030, enabling enhanced service delivery and connectivity-dependent revenue streams.
- • Market dynamics are shifting from volume-driven growth toward deeper customer engagement and personalized experiences, as digital maturation and expanded consumer choice require organizations to strengthen relationships and deliver relevant, data-driven content offerings.
- • Growth drivers center on three pillars—service connectivity, internet advertising, and VOD—reflecting an increasingly digital, data-led market shaped by evolving consumer behavior and preferences for premium, on-demand experiences.
Summary
Ireland's entertainment and media sector is positioned for sustained growth through 2030, with forecasts pointing to a market expanding from €7 billion in 2025 to €8.2 billion by decade's end. This 3.14% compound annual growth rate reflects resilience in a landscape characterized by economic uncertainty, constrained consumer spending growth, and heightened competition from both domestic and international providers. According to PwC analysis, the expansion is underpinned by three primary revenue engines: service connectivity, internet advertising, and video-on-demand offerings.
Service connectivity remains the cornerstone of Irish E&M revenues, commanding 39% of total market share as of 2025. This dominance reflects the fundamental reliance on broadband and telecommunications infrastructure supporting streaming, digital content delivery, and connected services. Internet advertising represents a significant growth opportunity, with projections indicating €1.9 billion in annual revenue by 2030, expanding faster than the global benchmark. Video-on-demand platforms demonstrated robust momentum, with revenue increases of 17.2% between 2024 and 2025, though market maturation signals suggest a transition from rapid-expansion to stabilization phases.
The infrastructure foundation supporting this growth is 5G deployment, with forecasts of 11 million 5G subscriptions across Ireland by 2030. This connectivity expansion enables higher-bandwidth services and supports the technological requirements of premium, data-intensive content experiences. However, the market narrative extends beyond headline growth figures. Industry dynamics are increasingly shaped by the shift from volume-driven expansion toward deeper customer engagement and relationship-building. As digital markets mature and consumer choice proliferates, competitive advantage now hinges on organizations' ability to deliver personalized experiences, combine digital innovation with human-centric service models, and leverage data insights to create relevance. This repositioning reflects broader structural changes in media consumption, where audience fragmentation and service proliferation demand more sophisticated segmentation and engagement strategies from content and connectivity providers operating in the Irish market.
Service connectivity remains the cornerstone of Irish E&M revenues, commanding 39% of total market share as of 2025. This dominance reflects the fundamental reliance on broadband and telecommunications infrastructure supporting streaming, digital content delivery, and connected services. Internet advertising represents a significant growth opportunity, with projections indicating €1.9 billion in annual revenue by 2030, expanding faster than the global benchmark. Video-on-demand platforms demonstrated robust momentum, with revenue increases of 17.2% between 2024 and 2025, though market maturation signals suggest a transition from rapid-expansion to stabilization phases.
The infrastructure foundation supporting this growth is 5G deployment, with forecasts of 11 million 5G subscriptions across Ireland by 2030. This connectivity expansion enables higher-bandwidth services and supports the technological requirements of premium, data-intensive content experiences. However, the market narrative extends beyond headline growth figures. Industry dynamics are increasingly shaped by the shift from volume-driven expansion toward deeper customer engagement and relationship-building. As digital markets mature and consumer choice proliferates, competitive advantage now hinges on organizations' ability to deliver personalized experiences, combine digital innovation with human-centric service models, and leverage data insights to create relevance. This repositioning reflects broader structural changes in media consumption, where audience fragmentation and service proliferation demand more sophisticated segmentation and engagement strategies from content and connectivity providers operating in the Irish market.
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