IRS+

What IRS+ does

IRS+ is an Irish media sales intermediary that acts as the exclusive or representative advertising sales agent for 15 local radio stations across Ireland, allowing advertisers to book campaigns across multiple stations through a single account-management relationship. Founded in 2013 and headquartered at 3 Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, the company simplifies local radio buying, which would otherwise require separate negotiations with each station, and provides JNLR (Joint National Listenership Research) audience measurement data to support campaign targeting and planning.

The company's product portfolio spans the core IRS+ radio sales brokerage (15 stations including Clare FM, Radio Kerry, Highland Radio, Radio Nova, and others), the Vocalise digital audio sub-brand launched in 2026 in partnership with Digitize (aggregating streaming, podcast, and on-demand inventory from 21 stations), the IRS+ JNLR research service, and IRS+ The Hub, an editorial content property covering the Irish media industry. Vocalise introduces programmatic-guaranteed, PMP/Converge marketplace, and direct IO buying options with rule-based targeting add-ons (GEO, segments, daypart, device), and claims over 6 million listening hours per month and 13 million pre-roll impressions at launch.

IRS+ generates revenue through advertising commissions and direct sales of radio and digital audio inventory to two customer segments: local and regional Irish businesses seeking community-level reach (primary), and national brands seeking regional activation across Ireland (secondary). GTM is sales-led and direct, with bookings made via email to IRS+ account managers and confirmed in writing; pricing is quote-based and varies by station, time slot, campaign duration, and targeting parameters. The company operates solely within Ireland, employs 11–50 people, and is privately held with no disclosed external funding or parent company, led by CEO Peter Smyth who has been in the role for over a decade.

Name

IRS+

Legal name

IRS+

Website

https://irsplus.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IRS+ is an Irish media sales broker that represents 15 local radio stations and the Vocalise digital audio network (21 stations), enabling advertisers to book multi-station radio and digital audio campaigns through a single point of contact, serving local Irish businesses and national advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising Sales: IRS+ generates revenue by selling radio advertising spots across its network of 15 local radio stations. Advertisers book spots through IRS+ account managers, with pricing based on station reach, time slots, and campaign duration. The company acts as an intermediary between advertisers and local radio stations.
2. Digital Audio Advertising (Vocalise): Revenue from digital audio advertising through the Vocalise platform, which offers programmatic and direct IO options for pre-roll impressions across digital streaming and podcast inventory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IRS+ is a local radio advertising sales representative that sells advertising spots across 15 local Irish radio stations through a single point of contact, providing advertisers with simplified multi-station booking, JNLR audience data targeting, and creative production support. The company also operates Vocalise, a digital audio platform aggregating streaming, podcast and on-demand audio inventory from 21 stations with programmatic advertising capabilities.

Product overview

IRS+ is a local radio advertising platform offering a unified service for booking advertising across 15 partner local radio stations in Ireland. The core IRS+ platform enables single-booking access to stations including Radio Kerry, Highland Radio, Clare FM, Sunshine 106.8, and others. The product portfolio includes the main IRS+ platform, the new Vocalise digital audio sub-brand (developed with Digitize), IRS+ JNLR for audience research data, and IRS+ The Hub for industry insights. The company claims reach of over 1.4 million people weekly with 21% share of the national radio market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vocalise: Digital audio platform bringing together digital streaming, podcast and on-demand audio from IRS+ radio stations, developed in partnership with Digitize.
• JNLR
• The Hub

Products and services

• IRS+ Radio Advertising Platform Core radio advertising sales service that enables brands and advertisers to book advertising campaigns across 15 local Irish radio stations (including Radio Kerry, Highland Radio, Clare FM, Sunshine 106.8, East Coast FM, Radio Nova, and others) through a single point of contact, providing national Irish coverage and authentic local audience activation.
• Vocalise Digital Audio Platform Digital audio advertising platform that aggregates streaming, podcast, and on-demand audio inventory from 21 stations (15 IRS+ local radio stations, WLR FM, and five digital-only stations) and offers programmatic and direct IO advertising buying with granular targeting options including GEO (+10%), Segments (+10%), Daypart/Weekpart (+20%), and Device (+20%).

Quantifiable outcome

• Weekly reach of 1.4 million people through local radio advertising
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• FOEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2022Creative partnership announced in October 2022. FOE joined IRS+ in a new creative partnership focused on idea-first, brand-first thinking.
• DigitizecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigitize is a technology partner that co-developed the Vocalise digital audio platform with IRS+. Vocalise brings together digital streaming, podcast and on-demand audio from all IRS+ partner stations plus WLR FM and five digital-only stations under one unified, data-driven brand.
• WLR FMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWLR FM is included in the Vocalise digital audio platform alongside the 15 IRS+ local radio stations, expanding the platform to 16 radio stations plus 5 digital-only stations.
• 5 Digital-Only StationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive digital-only stations are included in the Vocalise platform, bringing the total to 21 stations available for digital audio advertising.
• 15 Local Radio Stations (Clare FM, East Coast FM, Highland Radio, KCLR, KFM, Midlands 103, Midwest Radio, Northern Sound, Radio Kerry, Radio Nova, Shannonside FM, South East Radio, Sunshine 106.8, Tipp FM, Ocean FM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIRS+ represents 15 local radio stations across Ireland, acting as their exclusive advertising sales representative. This allows advertisers to book across multiple stations through a single point of contact.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Triton Digital: Digital audio ad tech platform providing programmatic buying, audience measurement, and ad serving for online radio and podcasts. Comparable to IRS+ Vocalise in delivering targetable digital audio ad inventory at scale, including in Ireland via partner stations.
• Bauer Media Audio Ireland: Operates multiple Irish local radio stations (Today FM, Newstalk, 98FM, SPIN 1038, etc.) and competes with IRS+ for Irish radio ad budgets. As a vertically integrated broadcaster-sales house, it is a direct competitor that can also reclaim inventory currently represented by IRS+.
• RTÉ Commercial Enterprises: State broadcaster RTÉ's commercial arm sells advertising across RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM, and lyric FM. It is the dominant traditional radio ad sales operation in Ireland and competes head-to-head with IRS+ for both national and local advertiser spend.

Broad incumbents

• Spotify Ad Studio: Self-serve and managed audio advertising platform from Spotify, the largest global digital audio destination. Competes with Vocalise for digital audio ad budgets in Ireland and globally, leveraging superior scale and targeting.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio broadcaster and digital audio operator (iHeartRadio). Provides a benchmark for the integrated radio-plus-digital audio ad sales model that IRS+ is moving toward with Vocalise, and competes globally for multinational advertisers.

Others

• RadioCentre (UK): UK industry body that markets commercial radio as a medium and provides research tools (RAJAR) analogous to JNLR for IRS+. Comparable as an ecosystem/audience-measurement peer that supports advertiser demand for radio ad inventory.
• AdsWizz: Digital audio ad-tech vendor (now part of SiriusXM) providing programmatic audio buying and selling infrastructure. Functions as an enabling technology peer to IRS+ Vocalise, powering ad serving for many broadcasters and DSPs.

Emerging players

• Acast: Global podcast hosting and advertising marketplace with growing Irish podcast inventory. Competes for the same digital audio ad budgets that Vocalise targets, particularly among advertisers shifting from FM to on-demand audio.
• SoundCloud: Global digital audio streaming platform with creator-uploaded content and direct ad monetization (SoundCloud Premier, SoundCloud Ads). Competes with Vocalise for digital audio ad spend among SMB and creator-economy advertisers in Ireland.

Regional players

• Global (Global Media & Entertainment): Major UK commercial radio group operating stations such as Capital, Heart, LBC, and Classic FM, with in-house ad sales. Comparable in business model to IRS+'s station-broker approach but operating in a different (UK) geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@irsplusie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irs-plus
• Instagraminstagram.com/irsplus_ie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IRS+