€170m spent on advertising in major national newspapers this year

A SURGE in advertising sales at the Irish Examiner helped fuel a 20% increase in first-half advertising revenue in the country’s major national newspapers.

The National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) yesterday said advertisers spent over €170 million on press campaigns, compared with €142m in the same period last year. This was driven by growth in direct spending and ad space bought through intermediaries.

The NNI, which includes the Irish Examiner, Irish Independent and The Irish Times, as well as the main Sunday newspapers, said property, recruitment and retail advertising continued to perform solidly. There was also a “dramatic upsurge” in brand and display advertising, which the group described as “extremely encouraging” for agencies and newspapers.