Abstract
Colum Kenny, “A Double-Edged Sword: Irish Media Merger Policy in
Transition,” Journal of Media Business Studies, 6(3):93-108 (2009).
Key Words: concentration, media ownership, foreign ownership, regulation, Ireland
This article explores recent developments in Irish media policy that are intended to
address concerns over further consolidation of media companies and the extension of
dominant owners into new media activities. It discusses the work of the Advisory Group on
Media Mergers, of which the author was a member, the role of the Competition Act, and
challenges posed by desires of some on the Newspaper Commission in the 1990s to
extend protection or support to domestic media in the face of strong competition from U.K.
media firms. The Government is expected to put forward legislation to alter the
Competition Act with regard to media mergers later this year.
Colum Kenny, “A Double-Edged Sword: Irish Media Merger Policy in
Transition,” Journal of Media Business Studies, 6(3):93-108 (2009).
Key Words: concentration, media ownership, foreign ownership, regulation, Ireland
This article explores recent developments in Irish media policy that are intended to
address concerns over further consolidation of media companies and the extension of
dominant owners into new media activities. It discusses the work of the Advisory Group on
Media Mergers, of which the author was a member, the role of the Competition Act, and
challenges posed by desires of some on the Newspaper Commission in the 1990s to
extend protection or support to domestic media in the face of strong competition from U.K.
media firms. The Government is expected to put forward legislation to alter the
Competition Act with regard to media mergers later this year.
