RDJ advises Landmark Media group on the sale of the Irish Examiner and other media interests to The Irish Times

RDJ advised the Landmark Media group on the acquisition by The Irish Times of all of the publishing and media interests of the group. In Ireland, where only three national broadsheets are published daily, it is one of the most significant media transactions to take place in recent times.

Landmark published two daily titles – the Irish Examiner and the Evening Echo, and seven weekly regional papers (the Waterford News & Star, the Roscommon Herald, the Western People, The Nationalist, the Kildare Nationalist, the Laois Nationalist, and the Naas and Newbridge Nationalist). It also has websites and radio station interests.

The share purchase agreement between the Irish Times and Landmark was signed on 5 December 2017, with the deal later being approved by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughton, and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

The consolidation is hoped to secure existing revenues and provide a platform to build and grow new digital readers and revenues. The “core identity and independence” of the respective news titles will be retained under the deal.

The RDJ deal team was led by corporate partners Diarmaid Gavin and Sean O’Reilly. Advice on property aspects was provided by John Dwyer and Maria O’Donoghue. Darryl Broderick and Tina English from the firm’s Media Law Team provided advice on important media law aspects while advice on employment aspects was provided by Michelle Ryan.