Radiocentre Ireland

What Radiocentre Ireland does

Radiocentre Ireland is an industry trade body established in 2021 by RTÉ (Ireland's national broadcaster) and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), which represents 33 commercial FM stations. The organization exists to promote audio — primarily radio — as a marketing medium to advertisers and advertising agencies in Ireland. Ciarán Cunningham serves as CEO and John Purcell as Chairman; the entity operates from Dublin with 1–10 employees and is funded through membership and industry contributions.

Its core deliverables are research, data, and industry programs rather than a unified software product. The product portfolio includes the JNLR (Joint National Listenership Research) — the official Irish radio audience measurement published quarterly via Ipsos — the Irish Audio Report (annual market analysis), CampaignFX (the largest audio effectiveness study ever undertaken in Ireland), Test Your Ad (a subsidized audio effectiveness testing service delivered in partnership with System1, priced at €1,500 per brand against a normal €3,000 cost), the Sounding Out annual conference, the Irish Audio Awards, and a library of case studies and educational resources. The Irish audio market it serves reaches 89% of adults weekly and 3.5 million adults on a typical weekday, with Irish radio generating €158.1 million in 2022 revenues (up 9% year-on-year).

Commercially, Radiocentre Ireland does not sell advertising inventory or charge direct fees for most resources. Its revenue model is industry/membership funding from its founding members (RTÉ and IBI), supplemented by a small co-funded participation fee for the Test Your Ad program. The go-to-market is event-driven: Sounding Out conferences, the Irish Audio Awards, research presentations, webinars, and workshops targeting advertisers and agencies. Strategic partnerships with international counterparts (Radiocentre UK, CRA Australia, RAB US) and research providers (Lumen Research, System1, Professor Mark Ritson) extend the body's category-building reach.

Name

Radiocentre Ireland

Legal name

Radiocentre Ireland

Website

https://radiocentreireland.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Radiocentre Ireland is a Dublin-based industry trade body, founded by RTÉ and IBI, that promotes audio advertising to Irish advertisers and agencies through research, audience measurement (JNLR), the Test Your Ad effectiveness program, awards, and conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Industry Body

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAEAH

Radio Network Distribution & Programming Services (Syndicators, Format Providers)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

SECONDARYMPAIAEAL

Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

Keywords

• Radio advertising research
• Audio marketing effectiveness
• Audience measurement services
• Advertising industry body
• Creative effectiveness testing

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Industry Funding: Radiocentre Ireland is funded by RTÉ and Independent Broadcasters of Ireland to promote audio as a marketing medium. The organization drives industry revenue by promoting the benefits of audio to advertisers and agencies through marketing activity, research, and training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Radiocentre Ireland is an industry trade body established by RTÉ and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland to promote audio as a marketing medium. It provides audio advertising research, JNLR audience measurement data, audio effectiveness studies, the Test Your Ad program, and runs industry events such as the Irish Audio Awards and the Sounding Out Conference for advertisers and advertising agencies.

Product overview

Radiocentre Ireland is an industry body established by RTÉ and Independent Broadcasters of Ireland to promote audio as a marketing medium. Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of research services, industry resources, and programs: the Irish Audio Report (annual market analysis), JNLR (official Irish radio audience measurement data published quarterly), Test Your Ad (audio effectiveness testing via System1 partnership), CampaignFX (proprietary audio effectiveness research), Irish Audio Awards (annual industry awards), Sounding Out (annual conference), and educational resources including case studies and the Audio Landscape Guide. The organization also provides industry insights, case studies, and FAQs as informational resources for advertisers and agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Test Your Ad Program A creative effectiveness testing program that allows advertisers and agencies to evaluate the performance of their audio advertising creative, supporting optimization of radio and audio campaigns.
• JNLR Audience Data Provision of Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) audience measurement data for Irish radio and audio, used by broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies for media planning and campaign evaluation.
• Audio Effectiveness Research Research studies and case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of audio advertising as a marketing medium, intended for advertisers and advertising agencies in Ireland.
• Sounding Out Conference An industry conference convened by Radiocentre Ireland to bring together advertisers, agencies, and broadcasters around audio advertising insights and best practice.
• Irish Audio Awards An awards program run by Radiocentre Ireland that recognizes excellence in audio advertising creative work across the Irish market.

Quantifiable outcome

• Audio campaigns deliver 75% higher profit, 81% greater trust, 81% higher price insensitivity, and 19% stronger customer acquisition vs campaigns without audio
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered founding and core.

• RTÉfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational broadcaster and founding member of Radiocentre Ireland. RTÉ operates 4 FM stations: RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM, RTÉ Lyric FM, and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. Contributes to industry collaboration for promoting radio advertising.
• Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI)foundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade association representing 33 commercial FM stations across Ireland. Co-founded Radiocentre Ireland with RTÉ to promote audio advertising.
• IpsoscoreTechnology or IntegrationConducts JNLR (Joint National Listenership Research) - the official source of Irish radio audience data, published quarterly. Provides essential listenership metrics for campaign planning.
• Lumen ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by Radiocentre Ireland for Irish-specific attention research. Conducted study showing Irish radio delivers attention and memorability levels 35% above global norms.
• System1coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative effectiveness platform providing Test Your Ad Audio program. Radiocentre Ireland co-funds brands to test audio ads. Research shows TV and radio ads have same average Star Rating for long-term effectiveness.
• Radiocentre UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK counterpart organization collaborating on global audio effectiveness research. Joint presentation at Cannes Lions with CRA (Australia) and RAB US on Mark Ritson study.
• CRA (Commercial Radio & Audio, Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian commercial radio industry body that originally commissioned the Effie × System1 global study. Partnered with Radiocentre Ireland to take findings to Cannes Lions.
• RAB US (Radio Advertising Bureau)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS radio advertising bureau partnering on global audio effectiveness advocacy. Part of the four-party collaboration (UK, Ireland, Australia, US) presenting at Cannes Lions.
• dentsucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal media agency collaborating with Lumen Research and Radiocentre Ireland on Irish audio attention study. Also hosting Rethinking Audio Advertising event.
• WPP MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with Radiocentre on Profit Ability 2 study analyzing audio ROI across 141 brands and £1.8bn in media spend across UK market.
• Marketing Institute of IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional marketing body partnering with Radiocentre Ireland on events including Listening with Fresh Ears masterclass and Rethinking Audio Advertising in an Age of Distraction.
• Professor Mark RitsoncoreOthersWorld-renowned marketing professor engaged to present landmark global study on audio's impact in marketing mix at Cannes Lions. Study analyzed 1,262 campaigns spanning 17 years.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IAB Ireland: Irish trade body representing digital advertising, including digital audio. Comparable industry-body function for Ireland but covers all digital media rather than specializing in radio/audio effectiveness.
• IAB UK: UK trade body for digital advertising, including digital audio. Comparable in scope of member services and advertiser-education programmes but broader than Radiocentre Ireland's radio-centric remit.

Emerging players

• World Radio Alliance: International alliance promoting radio's role in modern media plans. Conceptually aligned with Radiocentre Ireland's mission of defending and growing radio's advertiser share on a global stage.

Direct peers

• Radiocentre UK: UK radio industry body that represents commercial broadcasters and promotes audio advertising to agencies and brands. Directly comparable model, scope, and product set (research, awards, effectiveness studies) to Radiocentre Ireland, and an explicit collaboration partner.
• Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB US): US radio advertising trade body that advocates for radio/audio to advertisers and agencies. Mirrors Radiocentre Ireland's remit at much larger scale and is a partner in the four-country Cannes Lions research collaboration.
• Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) Australia: Australian commercial radio industry body that commissions global audio effectiveness research (Effie × System1) and promotes radio to advertisers. Operates the same trade-body model as Radiocentre Ireland and is a documented research partner.

Others

• Marketing Institute of Ireland: Professional marketing body in Ireland that partners with Radiocentre Ireland on audio-education events. Adjacent rather than competitive, but targets the same advertiser/agency audience with overlapping CPD-style programming.

Regional players

• Screen Ireland: Irish national agency for screen content and advertising. Touches advertisers with a similar remit of promoting a medium's effectiveness, though focused on film/TV rather than audio specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RadiocentreIE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCU_7MlC9rJ_FtiJRGduEsYQ/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/radio-centre-ireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Radiocentre Ireland