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Competition undertakings to separate the British owner of Ireland’s largest regional newspaper group from the advertising sales house his rivals depend on have “proven ineffective” – according to Celtic Media Group (CMG).

Malcolm Denmark’s Media Concierge owns both Iconic Newspapers and Mediaforce Ireland – which sells advertising on behalf of Iconic’s competitors.

CMG – which owns titles like the Meath Chronicle and Anglo Celt – has urged Coimisiún na Meán to carry out “a full review of the local publishing sector”, claiming the state of the industry isn’t “healthy for media plurality”.

‘Mr Denmark continues to manage, speak for and represent Mediaforce’

Celtic Media Group’s submission was published last week in the media regulator’s Report on Ownership and Control of Media Businesses in Ireland 2021-2023.

The Limerick Leader, Donegal Democrat and Mayo News are among the dozens of Irish publications acquired by English racehorse owner Malcolm Denmark.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) sought undertakings from Denmark’s Formpress Publishing when it cleared his purchase of the Tullamore Tribune and Midland Tribune in October 2019.

They haven’t worked, according to the submission.

“The various undertakings sought by CCPC from Formpress in that October 2019 determination have proven ineffective,” said CMG.

“Mr Denmark continues to manage, speak for and represent Mediaforce in interactions with the industry representative body, Local Ireland and its publisher members,” reads the submission.

“Mediaforce Ireland continues to act as the ‘sales house’ for Celtic Media Group and 30+ other regional publishers because no other party has the resources to enter as an alternate provider,” said CMG.

The regional press earns between 10 and 15 percent of all its revenue through the agency relationship Mediaforce manages, according to the submission.

“No recent years’ figures have been released by Mediaforce (Ireland) which effectively owns the access to all industry readership data. This is not healthy for media plurality,” said CMG.

The Ditch reported last week that TG4 had similarly raised concerns about media plurality in its own submission to the media regulator.

‘Total control’

The Denmark Family’s Formpress has hoovered up Irish publications since it entered the Irish market in 2014 with the purchase of 14 papers from Johnston Press.

It acquired the River Media titles in 2018, the Kilkenny Reporter and the two Tribunes in 2019, the Mayo News in 2022 and the Inishowen Independent in 2024.

“Mr Denmark, according to the interviewing journalist, conceded that, for his model to work, he needs total control of any local media market in which he is involved,” said CMG, referring to a 2019 Business Post interview.

Denmark acquired 13 Ulster-based titles from John Kilclooney’s Alpha Group in June this year.

‘Very concerning for media plurality’

Coimisiún na Meán didn’t carry out the review CMG asked for but noted “a potential cumulative effect of acquisitions on local media plurality” and “control over content production and advertising revenue distribution” among the themes arising from the submissions it received.

CMG says its concerns have been ignored more than once, citing a 2024 CCPC investigation into Denmark’s purchase of D & D Media.

“CMG made a submission to that ‘full investigation’ but, apart from an acknowledgement of receipt of submission, it was not contacted for any further comment,” said CMG.

The CCPC cleared the deal on 18 October, 2024.

Local Ireland, the trade body for local news publishers, told the regulator it had no objection to the D & D Media deal.

CMG is “very frustrated at the narrow response from Local Ireland”, according to its submission, which also notes that Denmark “is the member with the most titles within Local Ireland”.

A second submission whose author was anonymised at their own request raised the same conflict.

“If a title cannot access its fair share of advertising, then the ability to fund good journalism and invest in digital platforms comes under pressure which is very concerning for media plurality.”

Iconic Media’s own submission argued the opposite.

“Is media plurality better served by maintaining restrictive ownership rules at the risk of closures, or by permitting some degree of consolidation to preserve these vital local voices?” it asked.

Publications controlled by Malcolm Denmark received more than €1.4 million in funding from Coimisiún na Meán this year.

The NUJ called Denmark a “scroog last year over broken pay promises.

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