Menu

Stuart Fogarty

About Stuart Fogarty

Posts by Stuart Fogarty:

Irish Independent owner reports lower advertising revenues

From Irish Times

Revenues at Mediahuis ‘stable’ year-on-year at €1.2 billion, Belgian group report

The Belgian group that owns the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent said its revenues were unchanged last year at €1.2 billion despite a decline in advertising sales and increased labour costs.

In a statement on Thursday, Mediahuis reported operating profits of €153 million for 2024, essentially unchanged from the year previous.

The group, which also publishes the Belfast Telegraph and The Sunday World and several regional titles, said its results were “stable” year-on-year despite significant challenges facing the print media industry.

Total subscriber numbers across the group, which owns a range of media and radio brands in the Benelux countries and Germany, were also stable at 1.8 million, it said, with digital subscriber growth compensating for the decline in print subscribers.

“To accommodate the decline in print volumes, Mediahuis closed its printing facility in Aachen, Germany, and centralised production in Paal-Beringen, Belgium,” it said.

Mediahuis also recently announced plans to close its plant in Amsterdam and move production to Leeuwarden in the north of the country.

Ger Ysebaert, Mediahuis group chief executive, said 2024 was “another year full of challenges” for the media sector.

“Despite these developments, Mediahuis managed to hold up well,” he said.

“Digital subscriptions are clearly the driving force behind a sustainable future, especially as the distribution of printed newspapers becomes increasingly complex and expensive.

“That is why we continue to invest in digitalisation as a future-proof solution, ensuring that our pluralistic journalism remains widely accessible and relevant. As a powerhouse for independent journalism, we continue to build strong news brands that all generations can trust in a world of change.”

Mediahuis Ireland, which employed close to 550 people at the start of 2024, said in January last year that it would seek to shrink the size of the workforce across its publishing division in the Republic and Northern Ireland by about 10 per cent. The cuts were realised through a mix of voluntary redundancies, natural attrition, a shift to part-time working and compulsory redundancies, with some “internal mobility” also taking place.

 

TV AD REVENUE GROWS BY 5% IN 2024

From TAM

The total advertising spend on TV in 2024 was €298,000,405- an increase of 5.3% on 2023.

This is great news for the TV industry and really shows the power, strength  and agility of this media throughout a continuously morphing media landscape. Commercial impacts saw a significant surge this year up 7.7% on 2023 reflecting the medium’s ability to engage audiences effectively.

These figures, compiled by Guardian Management Accounting on behalf of TAM Ireland include spot, sponsorship, product placement, AFP and Broadcaster VOD revenue.

This positive trend is further bolstered by Ireland’s robust TV viewing habits. Viewers spent a total of 3hrs 23 mins viewing video content on a TV set every day in 2024*. Of this 77% of the time was spent viewing Broadcaster content, 10% of viewer’s time was spent with SVOD services such as Netflix, Disney + and Amazon, 4% with Youtube and the remainder of viewing time was to other streaming services. This mix highlights TV’s continued relevance in a fragmented media environment.

The growth in TV ad revenue is also a testament to the medium’s unique strengths: trust, scale, and its proven ability to build brands. In an era where trust in non-traditional media remains shaky, television continues to deliver on its core promise of reaching mass audiences while fostering emotional connections. TV’s vital role on the media plan has been reinforced by a number of prominent research studies published in 2024 ( Peter Field’s Effectiveness Study / Thinkbox Profitability 2 and TAM’s own award-winning Attention Research carried out by Red C & Amplified Intelligence.

These attributes make TV an indispensable tool for advertisers seeking to build brand awareness and loyalty.

The 5.3% rise in TV ad revenue is more than just a financial milestone; it is a testament to the medium’s enduring appeal and its ability to adapt to changing consumer behaviours. As Ireland’s media landscape continues to evolve, television remains a trusted and powerful platform for both viewers and advertisers alike.

*Source: TAM Ireland/Nielsen Media Ireland Total Video Panel  (Consolidated 7 day linear & Streaming)– Jan – Dec 2024

Marty Whelan’s wonderful world has extra appeal in dark times

Admatic say, Marty has been a friend for 30 years and he’s the most genial, decent of people. What you see, is what you get. Deserves every support and not just that, his show is so well supported loyally that it’s a benefit to advertisers. One of the greats. 

From Irish Times

The genial Lyric FM breakfast presenter has seen his audience swell to an all-time high. Is he the audio salve more of us need in 2025

Lyric FM breakfast presenter Marty Whelan was especially chipper on air on Friday, and he had every right to be. “Thank you for the kind words this morning,” he told listeners. “You’re very, very kind.”

Whelan’s listeners are not just very kind, they are more plentiful, according to the Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) survey for 2024. They show that Marty in the Morning, the RTÉ station’s breakfast show, now has 71,000 listeners, his highest figure to date. Whelan’s audience has climbed 15,000 year on year – significant growth in percentage terms and a notable achievement given the competitiveness of the radio market at that time of day.

Is this because none of us are getting any younger? Are more people simply coming around to the genial charms of Whelan? Or is there a touch of mood-correcting news avoidance at work?

Whelan hinted at the latter on a couple of occasions during his Friday show, noting the value in “adding to the gaiety and the craic” in difficult times. He alluded to the grimness and harshness of current events before opting to finish his show with a beautiful reminder that not everything is always terrible, playing Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World

Whelan and his style of broadcasting may act as an audio salve for some listeners bogged down by the woes of the world, but his show is, of course, more than that. It’s a cultural home for listeners who appreciate a playlist that finds space for both Donna non vidi mai from Puccini opera Manon Lescaut and Everlasting Love by Love Affair from 1968.

“We’re glad that you’re there making a point of us being here,” Whelan told his listeners, later observing that “right across the schedule, you seem to be enjoying the station”. Indeed, Lyric FM’s current line-up of presenters – among them Lorcan Murray, Liz Nolan, Aedín Gormley, Niall Carroll and new additions Claudia Boyle and Simon Delaney – have each carved out solid audiences in their respective time slots.

With a 2.6 per cent share of listening on weekdays from 7am to 7pm, Lyric is a niche operation compared with other national stations, but in the role it serves in the lives of its listeners, it gently punches above its weight. Whelan won’t be the only one hoping this will long continue.

NEW Radio Listenership Announced (JNLR)

This is the independent research of Radio listenership considered ‘The bible’ for media planning. There’s no doubt, Radio still shows remarkable popularity!!!

From The RadioCentre;

The report shows that Radio is enjoying record levels of listenership with 3.9 million peoplenow listening to radio every week, the highest weekly listenership ever recorded, growing by 105,000 listeners compared to the same 12 month period previously (Jan-Dec ’23). The average weekday audience listening at any time between 7am to 7pm is now at 1,095,000, thehighest recorded average audience ever. This clearly shows that despite competition from so much media,  Irish people have a deep passion for live radio and listen in increasing numbers across broadcast and online platforms.

Other key results from the latest JNLR/Ipsos survey are:

  • 90% of all adults and 85% of 15–34-year-olds listen to radio every week.
  • The daily listenership levels are also hugely impressive with the daily weekday audience now at 3.47 million, growing by 72,000 listeners.
  • 69% of 15-34 year olds listen to radio each weekday, while daily weekday listening levels for the hard to reach 15-24 year old cohort is also very impressive with 65% listening each weekday.
  • Listening levels to local and regional radio continues to be very strong with over 2.2 million adults listening to their local or regional station every single weekday.
  • The Irish Audio Report which was published in November last year and measures all forms of audio listening, revealed there is universal listening to audio content with 97% of adults listening every week. Live radio dominates audio listening with a 76% share of total audio listening followed by music streaming with a 12% share while YouTube Music has a 6% share and podcasts a 3% share of audio listening.
  • In terms of how people listen, 12% of all radio listening is now through a connected device with 7% of all listening through a smart speaker while listening via a mobile device is at 3%.
  • For the younger 15 to 34 age cohort, 22% of all their radio listening is now through a connected device with a smart speaker accounting for 8% of all 15-34 listening, while listening through a mobile device also accounts for 8% of all radio listening for this audience.

Source: JNLR/Ipsos 2024-4 (January to December 2024), JNLR/Ipsos 2024-2 Audio Module (Apr’24 – Jun ’24 3 month data)

23-092916-JNLR-Sales House Report 2024-4 (Final)

From Irish Independent:

Top broadcasters hit listenership highs as ‘talk radio’ becomes king.

Brendan O’Connor, Oliver Callan, Miriam O’Callaghan and Marty Whelan see massive listenership increases Matt Cooper keeps a steady ship at Today FM while other shows see dip Pat Kenny’s Newstalk show is still the most popular show on commercial radi

RTÉ radio continues to dominate the airwaves, with a 29.6pc share of listeners in Ireland.

The latest batch of Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures show all of the broadcaster’s flagship programmes have grown in popularity.

Morning Ireland is up 1,000 listeners to 466,000 since the last survey in November.

Oliver Callan’s 9am show has gained 11,000 listeners. The listenership for his slot now stands at 349,000. The comedian took over permanently from Ryan Tubridy in February last year.

Claire Byrne’s show is performing strongly, up 7,000 since last November. Its listenership stands at 349,000.

The Louise Duffy Show has gained 5,000 listeners, which brings her tally to 228,000.

Joe Duffy’s Liveline attracted an additional 7,000 listeners for a total of 314,000.

Ray D’Arcy has gained 6,000 listeners to bring his total up to 194,000, while Drivetime is up 5,000 to 226,000.

There has also been an increase in listeners across RTÉ’s weekend shows.

Brendan O’Connor’s Saturday show is up to 358,000 listeners, which represents an increase of 16,000. On ­Sundays, his listeners have increased by 27,000, from 339,000 to 366,000.

Miriam O’Callaghan’s 10am Sunday show is also doing well, gaining 4,000 listeners to bring her total listenership to 304,000.

The figures suggest that talk radio has never been so popular, with Irish listeners heavily invested in coverage of news events.

An RTÉ spokesperson said: “Oliver has had an amazing 12 months and Brendan O’Connor is the same. His year-on-year figures are massive, and it’s a tribute to lots of different things, including the teams that work behind all the shows, trying to make them the best they can be.”

Marty Whelan on RTÉ lyric fm is hitting all the right notes too, achieving a new high of 71,000 listeners for his 7am-10am daily show.

Despite a number of changes over the past year, 2FM is performing well. It is currently the most popular station among 15 to 34-year-olds, with a 12.1pc share of that audience.

Early-morning show 2FM Breakfast with Carl and Aifric gained 10,000 listeners to bring it to 152,000, while ­Laura Fox lost 2,000 listeners, bringing her total to 131,000.

Presenter Tracy Clifford has dropped 2,000 listeners and now has 117,000.

The 3pm-6pm slot formerly occupied by The 2 Johnnies, aka 2FM Drive, showed no fluctuations, with 145,000 listeners.

Advertising rate sought for Doireann Garrihy’s 2FM return revealed to be among most expensive at RTÉ

From Irish Independent

RTÉ is seeking one of its highest radio sponsorship rates for Doireann ­Garrihy’s new 2FM show.

As revealed in the Irish Independent, the public broadcaster wants €225,000 for an annual advertising package for Garrihy’s new afternoon slot.

The Dancing with the Stars presenter (32) – who is getting a six-figure salary to return to 2FM after quitting last year – will start her new afternoon show ­later this month.

She will now be the biggest name on 2FM, something reflected in the sponsorship fee being sought.

A source said RTÉ was keen to bring back the presenter and influencer and would do so “at any cost”.

“Her leaving the station came as a huge blow last May as it came on the back of Jennifer Zamparelli, The 2 Johnnies and was then followed by Donncha O’Callaghan,” the source said.

She is very well regarded in the ­station and RTÉ is confident they won’t struggle to get a sponsor for her slot. She has a huge following on social media and hits the right demographic for 2FM.

“As a media personality, hers is a premium brand. RTÉ has no doubt her afternoon show will do the business for it.”

The publicity blurb for the show says Garrihy will “take the listeners home, offering the hottest tracks, ­entertainment updates and feel-good vibes to power the evening commute”.

Her return is part of an overhaul of 2FM’s schedule in response to big changes at the station over the past year.

In stark contrast to RTÉ Radio 1, the latest JNLR listener figures show many of 2FM’s shows dipping in the ratings.

Its daytime show Drive with Beta Da Silva had the biggest drop, of 12,000 ­listeners, down to 145,000, while ­Breakfast with Carl and Aifric lost 7,000 – down to 142,000.

Tracy Clifford and Laura Fox’s shows also dropped in numbers when the ­figures were released last November.

However, 2FM boss Dan Healy is confident the new-look station will hit the right note with listeners. He said he was “really excited” to launch the schedule, which brings together old and new faces.

As part of the revamp, a new ­Breakfast Show will be presented by Garrihy’s former co-presenter Carl Mullan alongside Roz Purcell and Aisling Bonner.

Mid-morning will continue with Fox from 9am before Clifford kicks off her three-hour-long show at 12pm, with Garrihy’s show running from 3-6pm.

There had been speculation around the decisions of the five 2FM presenters to quit last year and whether it was linked to new rules around endorsements.

RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst brought in new guidelines last year ­stipulating that extracurricular work undertaken by the “talent” would have to be published and approved.

But Garrihy has denied that the new rules were part of the reason why she left last year after five years. She said she was “beyond excited” to return and front her own show.

A spokesperson for the RTÉ director general said he had not been involved in the deal to bring back Garrihy. Bakhurst previously indicated he would no longer engage with Garrihy’s agent, Noel Kelly.

However, RTÉ has said it would still deal with his agency and would continue to negotiate with a range of agents “as appropriate”.

When asked whether the sponsorship package for Garrihy’s new show was the highest for any 2FM programme, an RTÉ spokesperson said the broadcaster could not comment because it was “commercially sensitive”.

 

Irish ad market set to grow by 7pc this year

From Irish Times

The Irish advertising market will grow by over 7pc this year, reaching €1.7bn, according to a forecast by the marketing group Core.

The increase in ad spending will be fuelled by the growing popularity of digital platforms, and boosted by the expected launch of Amazon.ie in the first half of the year.

The media market in the Republic of Ireland increased by 7.7pc to €1.59bn last year, Core has calculated. Itself one of the biggest buyers of advertising space, Core says online media led the growth, with expansions in video, social media and digital audio.

Radio had another year of steady growth, but print media continued to decline.

The TV market had a strong year, with ad revenues up by 3.4pc, reaching €254.8m. Core’s Outlook report says: “2024 proved to be a standout year for TV performance in recent times. Live or scheduled programming took centre stage, driven by major sporting events such as the Paris Olympics, Euro 2024 and the Six Nations.

“Viewership grew across most demographics, with commercial impacts (advertising availability) rising by 2pc-8pc, depending on the audience segment.”

While Core predicts further growth for TV this year, it will be at a slower pace, up 1.7pc. RTÉ is expected to broadcast The Traitors, but there will be fewer global free-to-air sporting events – such as the men’s World Cup in football or rugby.

Broadcasters need to be careful “to avoid cannibalising their viewership on their proprietary platforms”, Core warns, as they increasingly monetise content on YouTube. Advertising spend on the video-sharing platform is projected to rise by 25pc to €88.5m this year.

Digital ad spending grew by over 10pc last year, reaching just over €1bn, which accounts for two-thirds of all ads. Google and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, led the way, accounting for 80pc of the digital spend. This was despite the increased competition from TikTok.

Online video had another strong year, with broadcasters reporting a 25pc increase in revenue to €39.7m. This was driven by live sports events and shows such as Love Island All Stars and Celebrity Big Brother.

The category, which includes social media video, is forecast to grow by 16.9pc to €560.2m this year.

Cinema admissions were up just 1pc last year, as the big screen faces growing competition from streaming platforms. However there was a bounce in the final quarter, up 21pc, due to the release of Gladiator II and Wicked.

Expenditure on cinema ads was up 20pc to €5.5m. Core is expecting further growth this year, up over 8pc to €5.9m.

Radio revenue also grew modestly, up 1.36pc to €157m, while digital audio was up 14pc to €17.9m. Core points out that competition in the market is set to intensify with the launch of an RTÉ app this year, which will offer podcasts and personalised recommendations. It expects radio to grow by 1.7pc, but digital audio to be up by over 12pc.

It was another difficult year for print media, with ad spending down almost 11pc to €68.3m. Revenues for their digital platforms grew by almost 5pc to €30.4m, Core says. It forecasts another 9.5pc drop in print ad revenues this year, but that digital will be up almost 4pc.

“The rapid adoption of AI continues to reshape the Irish advertising landscape,” said Aidan Greene, CEO of Core.

“AI-powered tools are enabling hyper-personalised campaigns, refining audience targeting, and optimising real-time bidding.”

He added: “Overall, AI is transforming the advertising industry, making campaigns more precise, efficient, and impactful; while revolutionising how brands engage with consumers.”

 

Virgin Media and TG4 to show League of Ireland

From BusinessPlus

Virgin Media Television and TG4 will air matches from the League of Ireland’s men’s and women’s Premier Divisions this season

Virgin Media has agreed a “landmark” four-year broadcast deal with the League of Ireland, giving the broadcaster exclusive rights to air the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.

Virgin Media will air 36 matches per year with a live fixture being shown every round of the season. The first fixtures to be broadcast will be announced next Wednesday ahead of the new season, which starts on 14 February.

The announcement comes following surging interest in the league over the past couple of years, with attendances rising nearly 20% in 2023 and the league now estimated to be worth €164.7m to the economy.

TG4 will broadcast the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division for the fifth successive season, with 14 matches to be shown live. Average TV viewership for the league has risen by 70%, with the average peak audience jumping from 24,009 to 33,608 last season.

The league will also get more attention from dmg media Ireland as both Extra.ie and EVOKE are once again the official media partners for this year’s campaign.

 

Siobhán Masterson new IAPI boss

From Marketing

Agency representative body the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) has appointed Siobhán Masterson as its new chief executive. She will take up the CEO role on February 17. Former commercial and marketing executive director at the RDS, she was also global senior director of external affairs and communications at Kerry Group plc and corporate affairs director at lobby group Ibec, the Irish Business & Employers Confederation.

Masterson has also held various board positions and non-executive directorships.

Commenting on her appointment, Abi Moran, IAPI president and CEO of Folk VML, said: “We look forward to her leadership in shaping policy, amplifying our members’ voices, and promoting the value of Ireland’s commercial creative industry.” She succeeds Charley Stoney, who has taken on the role of CEO at the European Association of Communication Agencies (EACA). IAPI members include 70 advertising and other communications agencies.

Load More