Last exit: O’Brien says final goodbye to Irish media scene

Denis O’Brien’s stormy romance with the Irish media is finally coming to an end. But his plans for Digicel may end up making his losses here look like small change

Denis O’Brien has faced plenty of criticism in Ireland stemming from his involvement in media, but his main business is the telecoms giant Digicel Pic: Collins

Not long after securing control of Today FM, Highland Radio and FM104, Denis O’Brien had a choice to make. Competition regulators would not allow him to control both FM104 and 98FM given their combined market share in Dublin. The tycoon would have to offload one of the two to address their concerns.

Having just spent €200 million buying the three stations, he decided to sell FM104 rather than 98FM. The sale of the former to ...