New law requires State bodies to publish media advertising costs

Under the bill, public authorities or entities will be obliged to publish information on the total amount spent on advertising and the amount spent with individual media providers

Media minister Patrick O'Donovan: 'Ireland’s media mergers regime is an essential element of the protections we have in place for media plurality and diversity.' File picture: Liam McBurney/PA

A new law which will require State bodies to publish how much they have spent on advertising with individual media organisations has been published by the Government.

Media minister Patrick O’Donovan has received government approval to publish the Media Regulation Bill, which will implement the main provisions of the European Media Freedom Act in Ireland.