A New EMFA-sis On Ireland's Media Merger Regime

Introduction

On 2 July 2025, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport (the "Minister") announced that the Government has approved the General Scheme of the Media Regulation Bill (the "Draft Media Bill"). The Draft Media Bill proposes a number of changes to the Competition Act 2002 (as amended) ("Competition Act") to give effect to Ireland's obligations under the European Media Freedom Act¹ ("EMFA") in relation to media mergers.²

The proposed changes (if implemented) will widen the scope of Ireland's existing media merger regime, while excluding certain transactions that are unlikely to impact on media plurality or have a limited connection to Ireland.

This briefing summarises the proposed reforms and comments on the practical implications of these changes for stakeholders.