Irish Times Group revenue drops 2.5% as it battles AI firms over copyright

It is our view that generative AI is infringing on our copyright. It is something the Government should do more on - Group CEO Garry Moroney

Revenue from services, which includes digital subscriptions, digital advertising and contract printing, rose 2% to €51.1m.

The Irish Times Group saw a 2.5% drop in revenues last year to €112.7m, led by a €3.5m fall in its publishing business, along with the winding down of its training business and the disposal of WKW FM trading as Beat FM.

The drop was offset by a €3m rise in non-publishing turnover, including revenues from its Rip.ie and MyHome.ie digital services.

Publishing its financial results for 2025, the company, which includes the Irish Examiner, the Echo and a number of regional titles, reported a loss before tax of €0.8m down from a €4m profit the previous year. 

Revenue from the sale of goods, mainly newspapers, fell 6% to €61.6m, down from €70.2m two years earlier. Revenue from services, which includes digital subscriptions, digital advertising and contract printing, rose 2% to €51.1m.

Group chief executive Garry Moroney said the group needed digital revenues to surpass print by 2030.

“That needs to happen. Obviously, we would hope that will be driven by digital growth over a decline in print, but both will play a part,” he said.

Moroney was appointed to the role of Group Chief Executive in October 2025, taking over from former MD, Deirdre Veldon.

The accounts list the Chief Executive's and Irish Times editor's salaries at €281,000. The accounts include a termination payment of €741,975 that became payable to a former executive director during the year under contractual obligations. The company's 2022 accounts included termination payments of €1.15m following the departure of former MD Paul Mulvaney and former editor Paul O'Neill.

The latest accounts show the average number of employees across the group fell to 802 from 837. The group spent €1.9m on a voluntary parting programme in 2025, after €3.7m in 2024. Payroll costs held steady at €60.7m.

The accounts list generative AI among the group’s principal risks, saying the technology may significantly affect its distribution and referral channels, with knock-on effects for traffic and revenue. Publishers worldwide are contending with generative AI tools and AI-powered search summaries that answer readers’ questions directly and cut the traffic sent to news websites.

“It is our view that generative AI is infringing on our copyright. It is something the Government should do more on,” Moroney said.

“There are two ways it can go: either they stop what they are doing, or they pay us fairly for the content that they use. What is happening now is effectively stealing our content.” Moroney said the group is also in contact with major tech firms, including Google, about licensing its content. “We need to move carefully though to ensure that it does not cannibalise subscriptions,” he said.