Ireland’s media and entertainment industry is forecast to grow to €8.2bn by 2030, up from €7bn in 2025, according to new research from PwC.
The consultancy firm’s latest outlook forecasts compound annual growth of 3.14% over the five-year period, with service connectivity, digital advertising and video-on-demand expected to drive much of the expansion.
According to PwC, digital advertising revenues in Ireland reached €1.3bn in 2025, an increase of 13.1% year-on-year, and are forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.6% to approximately €1.9bn by 2030.
Paid search remains the largest segment of the Irish internet advertising market, accounting for an estimated €76m in 2025, while other display internet advertising accounted for €377m. Paid search revenues are expected to reach €1bn by 2030, according to PwC.
A key driver of advertising growth will be connected TV advertising with in-stream advertising expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 16.2% to €46.44m by the end of the decade. PwC said this reflected the continuing growth of online television advertising across streaming platforms.
According to PwC, VOD generated €334m in Ireland in 2025, up 17.2%, and is forecast to reach €428m by 2030, representing annual average growth of 5.1%.
Subscription VOD accounted for the bulk of revenues at €280m in 2025, followed by advertising-supported VOD at €30m and transactional VOD, including film and television rentals and purchases, at €25m.
According to PwC, there were 2.4m VOD subscriptions in Ireland in 2025, with this figure expected to rise to 2.724m by 2030. Subscription revenues are forecast to reach €358m, while advertising-supported VOD is expected to generate €46m.
The report also highlighted continued demand for physical entertainment and media experiences.
Cinema box office, live music ticket sales and trade shows generated a combined €310m in 2025 and are forecast to reach €362m by 2030.
Although revenues from in-person experiences fell by 1.1% in 2025, PwC expects box office revenues to grow by an average 4.4% annually to 2030 and trade shows by 4.3%, while live music ticket sales are forecast to grow by 1.8%.
Outside of the advertising ecosystem, connectivity continues to provide the largest source of revenue for the overall entertainment and media industry.
The Irish connectivity market, including mobile telecommunications, was worth €2.7bn in 2025, up 0.4% on the previous year, and is forecast to grow by an average 2.2% a year to 2030.
Mobile services accounted for €1.6bn of connectivity revenues, compared with €1.1bn from fixed services. PwC said fixed broadband growth was also being supported by continued fibre deployment and the National Broadband Plan.
The shift towards 5G is expected to accelerate over the period. The number of 5G subscriptions is forecast to rise from six million in 2025 to 11 million in 2030, while 4G subscriptions are expected to decline from five million to one million.
