Tickets are still available for the third annual TABs Charity Lunch which will take place in the Intercontinental Hotel, Ballsbridge on Thursday, September 12.
This year TABS is celebrating its 70th anniversary and during this period, it has helped hundreds of individuals and families through difficult and challenging times. Along with the TABS golfing and cycle events each year, the September lunch has become an important fund-raising event for the charity. Last year, it raised over €40,000.
Tables for the event cost €2,500 for a table of 10 or €3,000 for a table of 12. Individual places are also available. TABS is also accepting prizes to for its raffle which will be held at the lunch.
For more information about purchasing tickets, making a donation of cash or a prize, contact Emma O’Doherty ( emma.odoherty@mindshareworld.com)
From IMJ (Admatic CEO was a joint founder of Core with Alan Cox):
Following a strong first half of year, Core has upwardly revised its full year advertising expenditure forecast to 6.94%.
Earlier this year Core predicted that the market would grow by around 4.1% to €1.472bn. Now it is forecasting that this will rise by 6.9% to €1,57bn.
According to Core, the key drivers of this growth include stronger than anticipated performance across digital, particularly driven by increased investment in online video and TikTok; Out-Of-Home and TV. “These channels have performed better than expected due to significant increased investment from categories such as FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), Utilities/Telcos and Retail,” Core says in its revised Outlook report for the remainder of 2024.
“This positive trend mirrors global patterns, particularly in the UK where ad spend has also experienced robust growth driven largely by digital investment and increased investment across traditional media channels such as OOH and TV,” says Christina Duff, managing director, Core Investment.
The revised forecasts from Core come on the back of strong trading performances in H1 2024 announced recently by TAM Ireland and Radiocentre Ireland which represent the TV and radio sectors respectively.
According to Core’s latest Outlook report, it is forecasting that video advertising will increase by 4.62% this year to €291.13m while out-of-home will continue its strong performances of recent years by increasing by16% to €93.9m while digital advertising spend is forecast to grow by 9.7% to €1.00bn.
Elsewhere audio advertising spend is forecast to grow by 3.39% to €176.35m while cinema advertising is expected to increase by 17.8% to €5.4m. The outlook for news media, however, remains bearish with Core forecasting a 9.44% decline advertising spend to (€94.15m.
According to Duff, audio investment across radio and partnerships is expected to increase by 2.73%, while digital audio will increase by 10% across all streaming platforms.
“Growth in revenue from government, retail and motors are driving spend across spot and content. Digital audio continues to increase; however, we have adjusted this down vs. our initial prediction of 18% growth due to competition in the digital landscape across channels such as video streaming taking share, and radio continuing to be both cost effective while delivering strong audience numbers. Streaming platforms and Podcasting will continue to witness strong growth as brands search for incremental reach within the audio landscape,” she says.
On the back of a strong first half of the year for live sports, including the Olympic Games, Duff says the “time spent” watching TV is up 1% in the year to the end of July 2024.
“Commercial impacts are up 8% which has helped ease some of the hyperinflation the market has witnessed over the last number of years. For younger audiences, viewership is up as high as 24% over the busy summer months,” she says.
“To add to this, streams across all the broadcast digital players are averaging growth of 17%. The key categories driving growth in advertising spend across Video include FMCGs, Telecommunications, Utilities and Retail. The first half of 2024 is tracking total video (TV and Broadcast Video on Demand) spend at 11%, but Core expects this to slow down slightly from September due to less live sport content compared to 2023, when the Rugby World Cup was held,” Duff adds.
With growth in OOH advertising continuing to increase, Duff says “the OOH sector can finally confirm that it has recovered post pandemic and is seeing significant growth across all formats and sectors including Retail, Media, and Food.
“The OOH sector has significantly invested in upgrading sites country wide, securing transport contracts, continued investment into digital, while focusing on sustainability and with new research on the way, there are plenty of positives for the medium.,” she says.
“The growth in Retail Media opportunities from the likes of Elevate Media, and increased DOOH formats has helped the OOH grow faster than initially predicted.
With digital advertising spend now running at in excess of €1bn a year, Duff says that AI has played a role in growing revenues beyond previous expectations.
“The key watch out for advertisers will be growing inflation in some of these platforms to counteract changing consumer behaviours as the lines blur between search and social specifically. TikTok’s potential move into long-form video will also be a watch out as it could disrupt video investment,” she says.
When it comes to news media, print will be hit the hardest, according to Core.
However, it notes that “small growth in ad revenue across display/ video across news media channels, along with potential increased government spending towards the end of year will offset some of the double-digit decline expected in print.”
Cinema: +17.8% (€5.4 million)
Elsewhere a forecast hike of 17.8% in cinema advertising this year to €5.4m masks a tricky first few months of the year for the industry when overall admissions year to date are down 8%.
However, Core notes that “the final quarter of the year will reverse this trend with Joker 2, Gladiator 2 and many new family movies set to be released. Cinema’s unique attention-grabbing formats pre-movie will be a must have in a busy end to the year.”
Ireland’s Sounding Out 2024 event will take place on Thursday, the 10th of October and will feature Robert Heath, author of the seminal book “The Hidden Power of Advertising”. Robert will talk about why the move towards attention measurement is a big mistake. You will also hear insights on the attention debate from renowned strategist Craig Mawdsley (Founding Partner Craig + Bridget). There will also be a focus on effectiveness where you will hear from Bridget Angear (Craig + Bridget) and Andrew Tindall, System1 about new frontiers of effectiveness thinking based on insights from IPA and Effies case studies. Ralph van Dijk will show why brands which define their audio strategy, both media and creative, enjoy strong business outcomes. This event will also feature a new research study, commissioned by Radiocentre Ireland which reveals insights on the role audio plays in driving mental availability. The event takes place on Thursday, the 10th of October 8.30am to 1pm in The Round Room at The Mansion House and it is an event not to be missed.
With streaming apps growing in popularity, Virgin Media Television (VMTV) is rolling out a new and revamped streaming service for mobile, tablet and smart TV viewers.
The new streamer, called Virgin Media Play, will be officially launched on September 2 and represents a substantial investment for the broadcaster.
Available live or on demand, viewers can watch all VMTV channels in-app and it will include significant additions to its existing on-demand library with exclusive content including drama series ‘The Arrangement’ and reality shows such as ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’, ‘Million Dollar Listing’ ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ and ‘Vanderpump Rules’.
Details of the new streaming service emerged this week at VMTV’s launch of its Autumn schedule.
The schedule includes a strong mix of drama, entertainment, sport and current affairs programming.
A key feature of VMTV’s sporting schedule will be the live broadcast of all Ireland’s Autumn internationals against New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in the Aviva Stadium while Irish viewers will also have access to eight games in the UEFA Champions League every week with two games live on Virgin Media Two and two on Virgin Media More.
New drama on the schedule includes the highly anticipated Irish series ‘Dead & Buried’ which was written by acclaimed Irish author, Colin Bateman, and filmed across various Irish locations. Other highly acclaimed drama includes “Coma’ and “Until I Kill You.” Dramas set to return for additional series this season include hit police drama ‘The Tower S3’ and the detective series ‘Grace S4’.
VMTV has also lined up a number of new and original documentaries, including ‘Women Locked Up: Inside the Dóchas Centre’, which provides unprecedented access and compelling insights into life behind bars in Ireland’s largest women’s prison.
Against a backdrop of continuing protests and riots, the two-part documentary ‘Borders & Lies’ will explore “the role of social media in inciting hate, fuelling fear and shaping public opinion in relation to immigration.”
Virgin Media News will also investigate University Hospital Limerick in ‘Ireland’s Most Dangerous Hospital’ while ‘Generation Rent’, presented by Virgin Media News correspondent Zara King, explores issues surrounding the housing crisis in Ireland, speaking with young people who are struggling to put their renting days behind them and get on the property ladder.
According to Anthony Nilan, director of orogramming, Virgin Media Television:
“We’re thrilled to launch a new season of programming that truly reflects the diversity, ambition, and creativity at the heart of our content. This lineup brings together bold new voices and familiar favourites across a range of genres, that will captivate and engage audiences, staying true to our role as a valued public service broadcaster for Irish viewers.”
TV adverting revenues rose by an impressive 11% in the first half of 2024 5 to €133.82m according to the latest TAM Ireland/Nielsen Media figures.
According to TAM Ireland, the increase was achieved on the back of strong viewing data which shows that the total time spent viewing commercial channels was up 6% year-on-year to 104 mins per day. (Ads 15+). Approximately 85% of this viewing was to live broadcast TV.
The increase compares with a 9% rise in the first quarter of 2024 when €66.70m when advertisers splashed out a total €66.70m.
The €133.82m for H1 includes spot, non-spot and BVOD commercial revenue and it represents the best H1 performance in over six years.
According to TAM Ireland, the momentum in viewership continued into July and August on the back of major sporting events like the All Ireland series, the Olympics in Paris and the Euro 2024 finals.
“It’s great to see this level of growth and confidence in TV advertising,” says Jill McGrath, CEO, TAM Ireland. “TV’s effectiveness has been proven time and time again which is why clients are investing heavily. The effectiveness is driven by the scale and time spent delivered by TV, along with the very high levels of active attention TV commands.”
Sky Ireland’s business saw revenues fall by £21m (€24.6m) last year, representing a 4% decrease on the 2022 revenues of £531m.
New accounts filed with Companies House in the UK for Sky Subscribers Services Ltd reveal the Irish branch revenues last year totalled £510m – which was a £21m or a 4pc decrease on the 2022 revenues of £531m.
A note attached to the accounts states that the Irish revenues comprise ‘direct to home’ pay television, broadband and telephony services here.
Sky Ireland conducts its business in euros and the bulk of the £21m revenue decrease is understood to arise from exchange fluctuations during the year.
The revenues also comprise of Sky Ireland advertising revenue here in Ireland and advertising revenues were hit by ‘a softness’ in the Irish advertising market last year while Sky TV subscriptions – which make up the majority of Sky Ireland revenue – remained stable for 2023.
The UK Premier League is the marquee product in the Sky Ireland subscription package and last December, the Premier League agreed a new deal with Sky and TNT Sports in which the competition will receive £6.7bn over four years for its UK television rights.
The deal, which runs from the 2025-26 season, will effectively keep the Premier League TV revenues stable although the number of live games is set to grow substantially.
Figures from ComReg show that Sky’s broadband customer base grew by 21,000 to 254,000 during 2023 where the firm was the fastest-growing broadband provider.
Later this year, Sky Ireland is due to launch Sky mobile and offer mobile services – the company has been offering the Sky mobile service in the UK for a number of years.
Overall revenues at Sky Subscribers Services Ltd in 2023 increased marginally to £1.03bn as pre-tax profits increased by 62pc to £99m.
In response to Brexit, directors for Sky Subscribers Services Ltd state that “within the Irish branch, we have implemented additional compliance checks to ensure products placed on UK or Republic of Ireland markets comply with the relevant legislation.”
The directors state that they have opened a warehouse in Dublin to supply product manufacturers in the EU which incurs duty and ensures that no products are moving across the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland borders.
Sky employs just under 1,000 people in Ireland, across a range of functions including sales, marketing, finance, retail, support and customer service.
The scale of the Sky Ireland business here on revenues of €598m in 2023 is underlined when separate figures show that An Post’s sale of 824,278 TV licences in 2023 generated €131.88m in income.
The Government last month announced a funding package of €725m for RTÉ over the next three years funded by a mix of licence fee revenue and exchequer contributions.
RTÉ’s radio services reach over 2 million adults* or 48% of the adult population every week with gains for all RTÉ stations
RTÉ holds 17 of the top 20 radio programmes broadcasting in Ireland
RTÉ Radio 1 remains the only station with a weekly reach of over 1 million** listeners with gains of +31,000 YoY
RTÉ 2FM weekly reach increases by 94,000 YoY to 791,000
RTÉ lyric fm has 335,000 listeners on a weekly basis increasing by +37,000 YoY
Since this time last year, 31,000 additional listeners are tuning into RTÉ Radio 1 across the week, weekly listenership to RTÉ 2FM has increased by 94,000, and RTÉ lyric fm has an additional 37,000 listeners based on this time last year.
Commenting on the latest figures, RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said:
“We saw over recent days how millions of people in Ireland turned to RTÉ for coverage of an exceptional Olympic Games. Public service media continues to play a central role in Irish life – and these latest radio listenership figures underline that once again. RTÉ broadcasts 17 of the top 20 radio programmes in Ireland.
RTÉ Radio 1 is growing, and remains the only station with a weekly reach of over 1 million listeners, with gains of 31,000 listeners year-on-year. RTÉ 2FM is growing, with a weekly reach increase of 94,000 year-on-year. And RTÉ lyric fm is growing, increasing by 37,000 listeners year-on-year. I’m proud that RTÉ’s range of programmes, including speech and trusted news and information, entertainment and music, continue to engage and connect audiences across Ireland.”
RTÉ Radio 1 reaches 904,000 listeners on a weekday (+46,000 YoY).
Morning Ireland remains Ireland’s most listened to radio programme with 486,000 listeners this book (+46,000 YoY).
Countrywide gains +68,000 YoY, with 277,000 listeners on Saturday mornings.
Oliver Callan is Ireland’s third most listened to weekday programme, with 336,000 listeners each day (+6,000 BoB).
Today with Claire Byrne now has 344,000 listeners tuning in every weekday from 10am-12noon (+3,000 BoB).
The Louise Duffy Show has 221,000 listeners (+3,000 BoB) tuning in for great music.
Brendan O’Connor on Saturday has 340,000 listeners (+2,000 YoY), with 346,000 listeners tuning in to the second most listened to programme in the country on Sunday (+23,000 YoY).
News at One has 295,000 listeners.
Liveline with Joe Duffy has a listenership of 302,000 (+1,000 BoB).
The Ray D’Arcy Show weekday afternoons on RTÉ Radio 1 has 191,000 listeners (+10,000 BoB).
Drivetime has 224,000 listeners tuning in every evening. (+4,000 BoB)
Playback on Saturday has 337,000 listeners.
The Business on Saturday mornings has 331,000 listeners (+7,000 BoB).
Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin has 216,000 listeners (+10,000 YoY).
Saturday Sport/Doc On One from 2-6pm on RTÉ Radio 1 has 226,000 listeners and Sunday Sport has 203,000 listeners.
Sunday Miscellany has 315,000 listeners.
Sunday with Miriam has 309,000 listeners (+5,000 BoB).
Arena has 49,000 listeners every weekday (+8,000 BoB).
The John Creedon Show has 56,000 listeners enjoying great music on weeknights (+4,000 BoB).
2FM Breakfast has 149,000 listeners tuning in on weekday mornings (+6,000 BoB).
Laura Fox on 2FM has 141,000 listeners to her 9-12pm show (+6,000 BoB).
Tracy Clifford has 128,000 listeners enjoying great music each lunchtime (+7,000 BoB).
2FM Drive continues to entertain listeners across the country in the afternoons with 157,000 listeners (+6,000 BoB).
Game On has 42,000 listeners tuning in weeknights for sports chat (+5,000 BoB)
Weekends on 2FM from 9am-12noon has 136,000 listeners on Saturdays (+7,000 BoB) and 128,000 on Sunday (+8,000 BoB).
Roz and Emma on 2FM from 12-3pm have 133,000 listeners on Saturdays (+9,000 BoB) and 98,000 listeners on Sundays (+1,000 BoB).
Radiocentre Ireland’s Sounding Out conference will take place at The Round Room at The Mansion House on Thursday the 10th of October from 8.30am to 1pm. The event will showcase new research on mental availability and will host an array of speakers addressing areas such as advertising effectiveness, how ad attention really works, how brands need to define their audio strategy, among other topics. Save the date and more details will be announced very soon.
Agency heads say row over security of ByteDance-owned app has already hit brands’ confidence in the platform.
Agencies representing TikTok’s biggest advertisers are drawing up contingency plans as the US prepares to ban the popular video app, including seeking break clauses in their marketing contracts.
ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, has been given until January to either divest its US business or face a ban on the app by US lawmakers, who are concerned about security because of its links to China.
The social media platform, with more than one billion global users, has become a key part of the marketing strategies for many brands given its huge popularity, particularly with younger audiences who are less likely to engage with traditional advertising such as TV.
TikTok generated $16 billion (€15 billion) in sales in the US last year, predominantly from advertising, people with knowledge of its finances have told the Financial Times.
However, multiple advertising bosses say their teams are now drawing up alternative plans for next year should TikTok be removed from the US, one of the world’s most important advertising markets.
One advertising executive said the ban threat was already having a chilling effect on spending by some brands. The person said they had quizzed company executives about what would happen if the US blocked the site.
“They didn’t have a good answer on how they sell ads in the US right now,” the ad boss said. “How does anyone believe that they’re going to be able to do what they’re doing in six months’ time?”
He added that the agency was drawing up contingency plans, including a “kill clause” to escape any financial commitments in the event of a ban. Brands and their agencies typically sign contracts committing to spend a certain amount on advertising in advance to secure prominent slots or volume discounts from media platforms
“You have to keep a little distance,” the person said. “You’re not at a loss for places to promote. It just so happens that TikTok is the biggest one at the moment.”
Another agency chief said the threatened ban was already disrupting clients’ plans. Other social media platforms would likely benefit as a result, they added.
“We have contingency plans at a high level if something were to happen,” they said. “Those audiences will go somewhere, and our investment will follow them.”
Shou Zi Chew, the Singaporean chief executive officer of TikTok, was among the company’s executives to attend the Cannes Lions week-long advertising festival last week. He did not appear publicly, however, instead attending private meetings with ad bosses about the platform.
In a report this month, GroupM said that “if a ban is triggered, we would expect ad revenue to move to other social-video platforms such as Meta’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts, as well as other digital media owners, and the creators and influencers currently active on those platforms”.
A third advertising boss said that even if the US took no action, the negative publicity had already hit TikTok’s standing with some marketers.
“More brands are starting to think about [where the data goes] in terms of the investment, the return that they’re getting,” they said. “I am seeing more of a groundswell into the societal impact of the platform.”
ByteDance is fighting the threat of a TikTok ban, arguing that it violates free speech rights and claiming it would be impossible to split the app from the wider group. The Chinese government has said it would not support a sale. About 170 million Americans use the app.
In a statement TikTok said: “We continue to see strong growth in our advertising business as brands understand that TikTok drives results and can have a transformational impact on business growth, no matter the size.” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024
Six months ago, Aoibhín Lennon, became director of the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), the representative group of five big out-of-home advertisers.
An important player in the Irish advertising industry, its members Clear Channel, Global, JCDecaux, PML Group, and Talon. Combined, they influence what we see each day in public spaces – from a billboard on the side of a building to digital signage in a shopping centre,, and from the side of a bus stop to the exterior or interior of public transport.
It is a powerful medium with about 2.4 million people seeing outdoor advertising in the previous week, according to 2017 research. But it is also a sector that came under fierce pressure during the pandemic as travel shut down and movement was restricted.
Lennon takes over the OMA at an interesting time. It is back growing and preparing to conduct new research into the power of the sector.
Digging into the data
Lennon was previously business director with Spark Foundry, a media planning and buying agency that is part of Core, Ireland’s largest marketing communications company. Lennon spent a decade with Spark Foundry, after previously working in Australia for seven years with MediaCom, ZenithOptimedia and Vizeum.
This range of agency experience gives her insight into what customers of OMA members are looking for. Lennon is passionate about her new role representing a market worth over €100 million a year.
One of her first tasks, she said, was overseeing new research into the sector by the Joint National Outdoor Research (JNOR). The research is being conducted by Ipsos, a global leader in market research.
The JNOR is funded by the members of the OMA and the new research will provide new audience data for outdoor campaigns for the first time since before the pandemic.
Lennon said Ian McShane, the former managing director of market research firm B&A, has been appointed as non-executive chair of the JNOR to oversee this project. “Ian has a wealth of experience,” Lennon said. “He’s just dug into the project and is making a difference with his background in research.”
The goal of the new work is to deliver a new all-island ‘Ireland Outdoor Media Advertising’ measurement system.
“The overall objective of the project conducted by Ipsos is to create an audience measurement currency for advertising in public spaces whether that is static, moving or digital in Ireland that is robust, reliable, and transparent,” Lennon said.
A new travel survey of a nationally representative sample of 3,000 people is being carried out. “A travel survey lies at the heart of a people-centred measurement approach to ensure the metrics accurately reflect audience geo-demographics and reach and frequency,” Lennon said. This will allow the advertising industry to better analyse out-of-home campaign performance including digital advertising across target audiences, locations and formats.
Aoibhín Lennon: “Research is currency.”
“It’ll be brand new, a new system, a new interface. It will include digital, the previous system didn’t include digital, so this will include digital screens as well as obviously incorporate retail, shopping malls, car parks, trams, rail, all of that,” she said.
Traditionally, the OMA and JNOR have been separate legal entities but Lennon said the plan was to merge the two companies formally. Accountants Amergin and law firm Flynn O’Driscoll working on the this process.
A voice for the industry
Out-of-home advertising was one of the worst impacted sectors during the pandemic, but Aoibhín Lennon said the sector was now back in growth mode. She said Core’s Predict 24 Report, published in February, showed that 69 per cent of adults planned to spend more time outdoors this year, and 62 per cent plan intended to spend time with people outside their place of work or home.
According to Lennon, digital is becoming increasingly important. “OMA members in Ireland are increasingly adopting digital signage and interactive technologies to enhance the impact and flexibility of outdoor advertising,” she said.
“Digital billboards, interactive displays, and dynamic content capabilities allow for more targeted messaging, real-time updates, and creative flexibility, making outdoor ads even more engaging and relevant to audiences.”
Aoibhín Lennon: The industry needs “one voice.”
Sustainability was also a focus for the industry. Printing formats use Forest Stewardship Council-accredited papers, and digital advertising powered down for four hours at night. “Paper posters are recycled after use,” she said. “Bus vinyl is converted to solid recoverable fuel and used in cement manufacturing. Most OOH (out of home) displays are now illuminated with LED lighting.”
The OMA saw its role, she said, as being “one voice” for the industry in telling its story to advertisers and other stakeholders. “The power of being out of home comes, I believe, from attention and trust. It is a trusted medium, and there is a power in good creative that everyone can see.”
“The reason I got involved is I love the medium,” she added. “People are out of home more, so they’re seeing more out-of-home advertising. It is a really trusted format.”
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