Ireland’s advertising economy has reached a major milestone, and it is one of the biggest developments in tech news ireland this year. Digital ad investment moved beyond €1.1 billion in 2025, signalling a market that is not only growing, but also rapidly shifting toward video, social platforms, connected TV and AI-led campaign optimisation.
The latest industry figures show total online adspend hit €1.146 billion, up 8% year on year. That performance makes the story highly relevant across media news ireland, digital marketing news ireland and wider Irish tech sector news, especially as brands rethink how they reach audiences in a fragmented media environment.
Why tech news ireland is focused on digital advertising growth
Display remained the largest category, accounting for 64% of spend, while search held a 30% share. The strongest momentum, however, came from fast-evolving formats:
- Social advertising rose 12% to €576 million
- Social video reached €405 million
- Non-social video climbed 22% to €45 million
- Connected TV jumped 33% to €26 million
- Digital audio increased 20% to €23 million
These figures underline broader technology trends ireland is seeing across media buying, audience targeting and platform-based advertising. They also fit neatly into ongoing platform updates ireland as streaming, podcasts and creator ecosystems attract larger brand budgets.
AI, automation and what comes next
One of the most significant takeaways for tech news ireland is the growing use of automation. Programmatic trading represented 41% of non-social display activity, while 95% of surveyed industry respondents said they now use AI tools for reporting, insights, creative development and optimisation.
That makes this story especially relevant to AI news ireland, ad agency news ireland and even adjacent areas such as AI SEO Ireland and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), where data-driven decision-making is becoming central to performance.
2026 outlook
Industry sentiment remains positive, with 7% growth projected for next year. Video, digital audio and influencer-led activity are expected to lead gains, though marketers are still watching economic pressure, measurement issues and AI disruption.
The clear takeaway from tech news ireland is simple: Ireland’s digital ad market is scaling fast, and the winners will be the brands and publishers that adapt early to video, automation and AI-enabled strategy.
