Meet the group in the lobby of the Clayton Burlington at 08:00 for a sharp 08:15 departure by private bus. Bring your government-issued identification card and wear comfortable shoes.
Kick off the study tour by meeting your fellow participants and our tour guides before diving into an executive overview of the Irish media landscape. This session will provide essential context for the next two days, exploring key market trends, challenges, and innovations shaping Ireland’s media industry today.
Despite Dublin's status as a tech hub, the Irish media market remains deeply rooted in print, with a rich variety of local and international newspapers readily available. Our tour will take you inside six prominent Irish media companies, offering a unique glimpse into their operations and strategies. Discover how industry leaders like Mediahuis and Bonnier News are leveraging international expertise to drive digital transformation. Engage with the nuances of a market where digital subscriptions are still emerging, and traditional newsroom structures prevail. Explore the untapped potential of Ireland's media scene and gain insights into the challenges and opportunities of a market in transition.
Independent News & Media, now known as Mediahuis Ireland, is one of the most influential media organizations in Ireland, with a rich history in print and digital journalism. It publishes some of the country’s most widely read newspapers, including the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, and Evening Herald, each catering to distinct readership segments.
As part of the Mediahuis Group, a European media powerhouse based in Belgium, Mediahuis Ireland has embraced digital transformation while maintaining its strong presence in print. Its portfolio also includes regional newspapers such as the Belfast Telegraph and the Sunday World, ensuring a broad national reach. With a strategic focus on subscription models, digital innovation, and audience engagement, Mediahuis Ireland exemplifies how legacy media adapts to the evolving demands of the modern news consumer.
Reason to Visit: Explore the commercial strategies of a major media organization managing multiple publications across platforms. Gain insights into content diversification, audience engagement, revenue generation, and digital transformation—key elements in navigating the evolving media landscape and changing consumer behaviors.
Walking instructions via Google maps.
The Irish Times is a leading Irish daily newspaper, renowned for its high-quality journalism, in-depth reporting, and editorial independence. Established in 1859, it has built a reputation as a trusted source of national and international news, analysis, and opinion.
Beyond the flagship newspaper, The Irish Times Group has expanded into a diversified media company, encompassing regional and digital brands. The group owns The Irish Examiner, one of Ireland’s leading newspapers, as well as several regional publications, including The Echo. It has also invested in myhome.ie, one of Ireland’s most popular property websites, demonstrating a strategic approach to digital transformation and audience expansion.
With its blend of print heritage and digital innovation, The Irish Times Group provides a compelling example of how a legacy media organization adapts to the evolving news ecosystem while maintaining its journalistic integrity.
Reason to Visit: Learn how a traditional print newspaper is adapting to the digital era. Discover editorial processes, digital innovation, and the challenges facing print media in a rapidly changing environment.
Walking instructions on Google maps.
Newstalk is Ireland’s commercial all-talk station bringing the very best in opinion, analysis, entertainment & sport.
The national independent station has a weekly radio audience of 871,000 and is the home to Ireland's biggest commercial radio programme.
Newstalk operates the National Audio Network Newsroom for all commercial radio stations outside of the state broadcaster supplying a news wire and live bulletin service to stations with a combined audience of 3.3 million listeners weekly.
In addition, Newstalk has a substantial social and digital presence with leading multimedia content and an established and growing digital audio presence including on demand listening, flash news updates, daily audio products and bespoke series such as Inside the Crime, As I Remember It and All Rise.
Newstalk is a part of Bauer Media Audio Ireland, the country’s largest commercial radio group with eight radio stations including the national stations Today FM and Newstalk, two SPIN youth stations in Dublin and the South West of Ireland, iRadio across the North East and North West, 98FM in Dublin, Beat in the South East and Red FM in Cork.
Bauer also operate Ireland’s leading digital sports brand Off The Ball, the aggregated listening platform GoLoud for radio, podcasts and music, audioXi, Ireland’s largest digital audio advertising exchange and Media Central, the leading media sales house in Ireland.
Reason to Visit: Gain a unique perspective on radio journalism, including audience engagement in talk radio, the role of radio in modern media, and the integration of digital platforms and digital audio.
As we wrap up the first day of our Irish Media study tour, we’ll take a moment to share initial impressions and key takeaways. What surprised us? What strategies or innovations stood out? This informal group discussion is an opportunity to exchange thoughts, compare insights, and start connecting the dots between what we’ve seen and how it applies beyond Ireland. With another full day ahead, this conversation will help us sharpen our focus on the lessons we want to explore further.
Participants have the evening free to explore Dublin.
Meet the group in the lobby of the Clayton Burlington at 08:30 for a sharp 08:45 departure by private bus. Bring your government-issued identification card and wear comfortable shoes.
The Business Post is a leading Irish publication focused on business, politics, and current affairs, celebrated for its investigative journalism and in-depth analysis.
Reason to Visit: Discover insights into business reporting, economic coverage, and investigative journalism. This visit offers a window into how specialized publications operate in a competitive media environment.
RTÉ is Ireland's national public service media organization, offering television, radio, and online content. It is the largest media organization in Ireland.
Reason to Visit: Understand the operations of a public service broadcaster, with insights into news production and media management. Although not involved in subscription-based services, both public and private media organizations share the challenge of fostering engagement and cultivating returning audiences
We transfer to our last visit of the study tour
The Journal is a leading Irish digital news platform known for its mobile-first approach and reader engagement. Launched in 2010, it provides breaking news, analysis, investigations and opinion pieces across politics, society, economy, environment, business and other topics key to the Irish public. The platform has featured its FactCheck initiative since 2016, the only such internationally-accredited unit in Ireland. It combats mis- and disinformation in the Irish online and political landscape through debunks, explainers and media literacy projects.
The Journal relies on a mix of advertising and reader contributions to sustain its journalism, and prioritises interactive formats and reader engagement to become one of the most widely read online news sources in Ireland. Its wider organisation, Journal Media, also operates The Journal Investigates, and sports storytelling subscriber-site, The42.
Reason to visit: The Journal.ie offers a unique case study in digital-native journalism, reader engagement, and audience-driven revenue models. Visiting this newsroom provides valuable insights into how a purely digital platform thrives in an evolving media landscape.
We transfer back to Clayton Burlington Road Hotel.
Over a well-deserved pint of Guinness, we’ll reflect on and distill the key insights from our two-day Irish Media study tour. What can other Europeans learn from the Irish media landscape? What lessons and innovations will we take back to the continent to implement at home? This interactive group discussion is a hallmark of INMA's study tours, allowing us to exchange perspectives, compare takeaways, and uncover the nuances we each noticed differently—because we all hear, interpret, and remember unique aspects of the experience.
Tom Corbett
Head of European Division
Antwerp, Belgium
Dutch, English
Tel.: +32 486 37 13 36