Irish entertainment and media sector forecast to reach €8.2bn by 2030

Ireland’s entertainment and media industry is forecast to grow by 3.1% annually to reach €8.2bn by 2030, with internet advertising, connectivity and video-on-demand (VOD) expected to provide the main

The sector generated €7bn in revenues in 2025, according to <a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2026/pwc-2026-global-entertainment-media-outlook.html” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>PwC’s latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026-2030, published in Ireland today.

The Irish growth forecast is slightly below the global rate of 3.4%, with worldwide entertainment and media revenues expected to increase from €3trn in 2025 to €3.6trn by 2030.

PwC said the Irish market is entering a new phase of growth as consumers continue to move towards digital services, while businesses increasingly use data, artificial intelligence (AI) and partnerships to deliver more personalised experiences.

Amy Ball, partner at PwC Ireland’s Entertainment & Media Practice, said advertising would remain a major driver of the industry.

“Advertising continues to remain a powerhouse driving the global entertainment and media industry’s revenues and it will play an increasingly important role in Ireland as AI-powered hyper-personalisation transforms how organisations engage with customers,” she said.

She added that businesses would need to look beyond individual products and services as competition increases.

“Success will increasingly depend on building connected ecosystems, creating value through partnerships and delivering experiences that customers cannot easily find elsewhere,” Ms Ball said.

Internet advertising leads growth

Internet advertising is expected to be the fastest-growing of the major areas of Ireland’s entertainment and media sector, with revenues forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% between 2025 and 2030.

The market is expected to reach approximately €1.9bn by 2030, slightly ahead of the global growth rate of 7.2%.

PwC said AI-powered personalisation is allowing advertisers to target consumers with more relevant content and offers, supporting continued growth in the sector.

Service connectivity, including fixed and mobile internet, remains the largest contributor to Irish E&M revenues, accounting for 39% of the total.

However, its growth is expected to be more modest, at a CAGR of 2.2% to 2030, broadly in line with the global market.

Ireland’s VOD market is forecast to grow by 5.1% annually over the period, reaching €428m in 2030.

Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) was the largestm from advertising-supported VOD (AVOD) and €25m from transactional VOD, which includes one-off purchases and rentals

There were 2.4 million VOD subscriptions in Ireland in 2025. That figure is expected to rise to 2.7 million by 2030.

PwC expects SVOD revenues to reach €358m by 2030, while AVOD is forecast to increase to €46m.

The report suggests that subscriber growth will become more difficult as the market matures, with annual revenue per subscription expected to rise from €116.10 in 2025 to €131.58 in 2030.

Ireland’s mobile market is also undergoing a significant shift, with 5G subscriptions overtaking 4G subscriptions in 2025.

The number of 5G subscriptions is forecast to rise from 6 million last year to 11 million by 2030, representing annual growth of 13.5%.

Over the same period, 4G subscriptions are expected to fall from 5 million to 1 million.

PwC said the figures indicate that the expansion of mobile connectivity is increasingly being driven by migration from legacy 4G networks towards 5G.

Meanwhile, demand for physical entertainment experiences is expected to remain resilient.

Cinema box office, live music ticket sales and trade shows generated €310m in Ireland in 2025 and are forecast to reach €362m by 2030, representing annual growth of 3.2%.

Box office and trade shows are expected to provide the strongest growth, at 4.4% and 4.3% respectively, while live music ticket sales are forecast to grow by 1.8%.

Naomi Ryan, director of PwC Ireland’s Entertainment & Media Practice, said the figures demonstrated the continuing importance of consumer engagement alongside digital growth.

“Demand for streaming services remains strong, live experiences continue to perform well, and 5G is accelerating how audiences access content,” she said.

“As markets mature, future growth will increasingly come from building deeper customer relationships, delivering more relevant experiences and creating greater value for existing audiences.”