Media Concierge (Holdings) Ltd.

Media Concierge (Holdings) Limited is based in the UK and is wholly owned by the Denmark family. Mediaforce (London) Ltd was established by Malcolm Denmark in 1985 to represent media outlets to advertising agencies which remains a substantial element of Mediaforce’s business. The move into direct ownership of media outlets came in April 2014 when Iconic Newspapers Limited, a Mediaforce subsidiary, acquired the 14 Irish titles of the Johnston Press Group (Scotland) for €8.7m.

Media Concierge has a number of subsidiaries including Mediaforce and its subsidiary Mediaforce Ireland. Business activities include a full range of advertising services from representation, and marketing to publishing and distribution.

Media Concierge (Holdings) Ltd Subsidiaries

Mediaforce: Agency representing media outlets to advertising agencies throughout the UK and Ireland. In 2021 Media Concierge acquired More Media Sales under its Mediaforce subsidiary. More Media Sales is a Manchester based media sales business which represents a portfolio of regional publishers across print and online.

The Leaflet Company: Established in 1986 this company is the largest distributor of unaddressed or direct mail in the UK.

The Insert Company: Represent UK media brands in planning and buying space for insert campaigns across national and regional publications.

1XL: Founded in 2004 this company represents a consortium of UK based local and regional news outlets’ digital platform advertising space to clients.

Datalab: Data Analysis business which provides reporting on advertising campaigns to clients.

The Magazine Business: Represents over 300 regional magazines in the UK to advertising agencies.

Printforce: Printing services for direct marketing clients.

Site to Site: Print distribution service.

Iconic Media Group: Irish publishing business which includes local print newspaper and online assets.

Relating to their newspaper business in Ireland (Iconic Media/Mediaforce Ireland) the company has been criticised for the amalgamation of editorial divisions and making staff redundant during the pandemic. This included complaints from the National Union of Journalists in Ireland (NUJ), who have called for more rigorous scrutiny of Mediaforce acquisitions in Ireland by the Government and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC).

Advertising & Publications:

In its 2019 assessment of Formpress Publishing’s proposed acquisition of The Midland Tribune newspapers, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) considered the implications of Mediaforce’s role as “a conduit for advertising agencies to channel national advertising spend to local/regional newspaper and digital newspaper titles in the State”. In 2004 the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland had appointed Mediaforce as the sole national advertising agent for its member publications. Although the CCPC found that the bulk of local press advertising revenues came from local businesses, it nonetheless concluded that 10-20% of advertising revenues came from national advertisers and advertising agencies and thus were mediated through Mediaforce Ireland. Given this potential for market dominance, the CCPC expressed concern that:

“Mediaforce occupies a very strong position in the provision of the service of channelling national advertising to local/regional newspapers and digital newspaper titles in the State and that Mediaforce group owns and operates local/regional newspapers and websites, the Commission is concerned that Mediaforce will have the ability and incentive to foreclose its local/regional newspaper competitors”.

In response, Mediaforce and Formpress gave commitments to the CCPC to direct advertising business from advertisers and advertising agencies to local/regional newspapers and digital newspapers on a “strictly fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory basis and to apply equivalent conditions in equivalent circumstances to all Formpress Titles and Non-Formpress Titles”. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC) considered these proposals “appropriate and effective” means of addressing the Commission’s competition concerns. However, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) criticised this outcome and have called for more rigorous scrutiny of Mediaforce acquisitions and business operations in Ireland by the Government and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC).