'Irish Mirror' publisher secures clearance to acquire 'Irish Daily Star' newspaper

The 'Irish Daily Star 'will continue to trade through Independent Star Ltd as a subsidiary of Reach plc.

Media company Reach has been granted regulatory clearance to acquire the Irish Daily Star newspaper.

The publisher of the Irish Mirror originally acquired a 50% stake in the title in September 2018 in a joint venture with Independent News and Media. 

In July of this year, Reach secured an agreement with Independent News and Media to acquire its 50% stake, with the agreement subject to regulatory approvals. Reach has now secured clearance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and media minister Catherine Martin and will work with Independent News and Media on a transition plan for the paper and its websites over the coming weeks.

The Irish Daily Star will continue to trade through Independent Star Ltd as a subsidiary of Reach plc.

Separately, in the US, international news website BuzzFeed is buying the HuffPost online news service from Verizon Communications, marking the latest shake-up for new-media publishers.

BuzzFeed and Verizon’s media arm also agreed to syndicate each other’s content in a broader partnership, the companies said. As part of the deal, Verizon is acquiring a minority stake in BuzzFeed, which will use the telecom giant’s advertising platform to reach more customers. 

The two websites will remain independent of each other, and BuzzFeed has begun a search for a new editor-in-chief of HuffPost.