Tag Archives: Denis O’Brien

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Denis O’Brien

“In Ireland, there might eventually be only one or two newspapers. The problem now is, there are a lot of management teams in media who don’t see any way of co-operating, and to be honest, they are the cows on the line.”

“People in media and management can’t cooperate, and if you don’t cooperate sending vans, sharing resources, sharing everything, nobody will survive. Or only one will survive.”

“You take INM [Independent News and Media], which has stabilised. I think [INM chairman] Leslie Buckly had a massive impact in doing that, and with great difficulty, and the board met nearly every week. It’s a real worker board, and not a lot of reward.”

“It is the digital side where they made the investment, and that is where the really big bet is. Hopefully, we can maintain a good solid base of readers who buy the paper every day. It is a huge challenge, complicated by the fact that all the news you see about media is written by media, so they are all conflicted.”

“At the end of the day, there has to be pollination between online radio and TV and newspapers. I was up with a business in Canada last week, Rogers, and they have a massive network across all platforms, and whatever business they have is cross-promoted across everything else. They are in radio, television, cable TV, mobiles – they are a mega company. ”

“When I told one of their main guys about the restrictions in Ireland, the guy fell off the chair laughing. He said: “You gotta be kidding me, that is Stone Age stuff. That is completely the antithesis of where the world is moving to.”

Denis O’Brien in an interview with Niall O’Dowd in yesterday’s Sunday Business Post.

The Moriarty Tribunal, Irish Water, or how Mr O’Brien’s purchase of both SiteServ and Blue Ocean Associates came after the IBRC wrote off €64million and €100million in debt from the companies respectively were not discussed.

In addition, there was no mention of the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Seamus Dooley’s call for the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the future of Ireland’s media.

Good times.

Mr O’Brien’s interview is behind paywall at the Sunday Business Post. It’s also on Irish Central (link below).

Exclusive: Denis O’Brien on Tony O’Reilly, Hillary, Ireland, and making a difference (Niall O’Dowd, Irish Central)

(Photocall ireland)

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James Morrissey, Denis O’Brien’s media adviser, arriving at Dublin Castle in 2010 for the Moriarty Tribunal

You may have read Malachy Clerkin’s column, headlined Is there no end to Denis O’Brien’s intervention in Irish sport?, in the Irish Times last Thursday.

In it, Mr Clerkin recalled an exchange about tax exiles between Mr O’Brien and Oisín Quinn, counsel for the Irish Daily Mail, during Mr O’Brien’s successful libel case against the Irish Daily Mail.

Mr Clerkin then argued:

“It is difficult to see yourself reflected in a national team that on a certain level is just a billionaire’s plaything.”

Further to this, Mr O’Brien’s media gatekeeper James Morrissey has written a letter to the Irish Times this morning, stating:

Sir, – I read Malachy Clerkin’s column in The Irish Times with interest (“Is there no end to Denis O’Brien’s intervention in Irish sport?”, September 18th). Clearly Malachy Clerkin doesn’t want Denis O’Brien to support Irish soccer or Irish rugby. Would he have preferred that these sports would be denied any assistance that just might help them progress? It strikes me as a rather unusual stance for a sports journalist.

If Malachy had bothered to check the facts he would have learned that Denis O’Brien’s support for the Irish cricket team came as a result of a request for immediate assistance during the 2007 Cricket World Cup when they unexpectedly got through to the Super 8 round.

From the general tone of his column it would appear that Malachy would have been happier if the plea for help was rejected. If he has such a hang-up about financial contributions that have sought nothing in return, how does he feel about sports sponsorship?

What strikes me as particularly incongruous is how an advocate of sport could so determinedly attempt to convert what just might be a positive motivation into some covert agenda.

What lies ahead for readers of The Irish Times – Malachy Clerkin rails against corporate branding of sports? Opposing advertising on sports pages? Refuses any element of his salary which might be sourced from commercial activities? Maybe Malachy is a sports journalist who simply does not like sports.

Yours, etc,
JAMES MORRISSEY,
Media adviser
to Denis O’Brien,
Fitzwilliam Quay, Dublin 4.

He used to be a journalist.

No really.

Denis O’Brien and sport (Irish Times letters)

Photocall Ireland

denisBaloon

He’s buying everyone.

Except the people he’s suing.

The Irish Times reports:

Jonathan Sexton’s commercial agreement with Denis O’Brien, which played a significant role in bringing the Ireland outhalf back to Leinster next season, confirms the new IRFU strategy of keeping hold of their most precious commodities. Basically, the provinces can now top up central contracts with private funding….

Sexton agreement with Denis O’Brien confirms IRFU’s strategy (Gavin Cummiskey, Irish Times)

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“The Competition Authority must urgently review the extent of Mr O’Brien’s influence in newsprint, digital and radio. It needs to assess how that would be affected by a deal with TV3 in the areas of advertising and talent-sharing. The Competition Authority should seek to determine whether INM and Communicorp have engaged in any joint selling of advertising involving their respective platforms and the value of any such transactions.”

“That there is already co-operation between INM and Communicorp is not in doubt. In addition to scratching each other’s back on editorial matters there is also a growing trend for “contra” advertising. In 2012 INM received the equivalent of €500,000 in advertising from Communicorp and those stations received the same amount in return.”

“Last year those respective figures had increased to €1m. The authority also needs to find out what business arrangements, if any, exist between Mr O’Brien’s Topaz Energy, the country’s biggest oil and convenience brand with 330 stations, and INM’s newspaper titles.”

From an editorial in yesterday’s Sunday Times, further to the news that TV3 is planning to form a partnership with Communicorp, the radio group owned by Denis O’Brien.

Previously: Anything Good In The Sunday Times?

Topaz The Morning To You

Wanderley Massafelli/Photocall Ireland

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Independent.ie will run a ‘behind-the-scenes’ documentary, hosted by Barry Egan, about FAI chief executive John Delaney from Sunday.

The documentary, called John The Baptist, will feature Denis O’Brien who pays 70 per cent of Ireland football manager Martin O’Neill and assistant manager Roy Keane’s wages, or €910,000 of their combined €1.3million wages.

In it, Mr O’Brien praises Delaney’s running of the FAI, which recently secured a debt write-down of €11.7million.

“John Delaney could run anything. John Delaney could run UEFA easily. He could run FIFA as far as I’m concerned — certainly better than [FIFA President] Sepp Blatter, and more honestly.”

Right so.

And sure he’s great craic too.

Coming soon: John The Baptist (Independent.ie)

H/T: Balls.ie

Previously: Meanwhile, At The FAI

denisBaloonDenis O’Brien

Denis.

And why he doesn’t need to own the Irish Times.

‘Cantillion’ writes:

“The deal might appeal to O’Brien for other reasons. The [Grand Canal] theatre is one of the best modern buildings in Ireland. It would be a shame to see it lost to the State until its lease runs out in 2207 if it was acquired by an international buyer.
O’Brien is a fan of good architecture so he can also appreciate its aesthetic value. The talented Seán Billings, who died in 2012, was facade consultant on the theatre’s remarkable visage and on O’Brien’s notable Digicel headquarters in Jamaica.
O’Brien is at his peak in business terms for the next few decades but perhaps he is thinking even further ahead by bidding for the theatre. It is a good business to own but it would be an incredible asset to ultimately bequest to the State. It would be quite the final act if the billionaire was so minded.”

Really?

*attempts to uncurl toes*

A new player appears in theatre-land (Irish Times)

(Photocall Ireland)

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The early edition of the Sunday Independent on July 20, 2014 (top) and Stephen Rae, group editor of INM  (above)

Further to SindoGate…

The order to stop the presses was made by Stephen Rae, the group editor of INM’s titles, after he was informed by a senior journalist about the contents of the column written by Anne Harris, the newspaper’s editor.
The decision to change Harris’s copy against her wishes led to a heated discussion in the newsroom shortly after 7pm last Saturday, according to sources in the newspaper. Explaining why the presses had been stopped, Campbell Spray, the newspaper’s executive editor of operations, told colleagues Rae was his “ultimate boss”.

Mark Tighe, Sunday Times (behind paywall),

Irish newspaper editor’s column was changed after going to press (Roy Greenslade, Guardian)

Previously: Uncompromising

Denis O’Brien’s Editorial Interference: The Smoking Gun?

Meanwhile…

Bewildered Student writes:

“Where the hell is the NUJ [National Union of Journalists]?”

Anyone?

(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

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Today’s Irish Sun

 In today’s Irish Sun, (behind paywall), Neil O’Riordan writes:

“Business tycoon Denis O’Brien coughs up a staggering 70 per cent of [Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane’s] pay packets – which amounts to €910,000 of the combined €1.3million wages.
…
“We have learned that O’Neill earns a cool €1million a year while sidekick Keane collects €300,000 per annum.”

Meanwhile, RTÉ reports:

“The Football Association of Ireland secured a debt write-down of €11.7 million, delegates at their Annual General Meeting in Athlone heard today.”
…

“Today’s AGM was Chief Executive John Delaney’s tenth at the helm of the Association, a period that has been financially challenging for the FAI. In his review of the year, he said the highlight was the refinancing of the stadium debt. The Board recently asked Delaney to continue as chief executive for another five years, a move that’s expected to cost the association €1.8 million or €360,000 a year.”

FAI debt write-down totalled €11.7m, AGM hears in Athlone (RTÉ)

Boys in the Green (Irish Sun)