A new website that will track the ownership of media organisations in Ireland is to be launched today.
The Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) Ireland will also highlight the connections between media outlets and individuals and institutions.
The initiative is a joint venture between Dublin City University's Institute for Future Media Democracy and Society (FuJo) and the German based non-profit organisation, Global Media Registry (GMR) which is co-funded by the European Union.
The first of its kind in the EU, it is also supported by Coimisiún na Meán.
The development comes as a new study monitoring the media market here found that while it has concentrated ownership it also has a plurality of voices.
But the research also found a number of other areas in news content provision where concentrations were less obvious, like in the brokering of ad placement, printing and distribution.
In particular, one company Newspread, which is a subsidiary of Mediahuis Ireland, dominates the distribution of many newspapers around the country, it found.
The analysis also suggests that even though there are 30 commercial radio stations alongside RTÉ, the radio market may be less diverse than it appears.
This is because many non-RTÉ local stations receive their national and international news from a service provided by Bauer Media, the owner of Today FM and Newstalk.
The monitor also found a concentration in broadcast and print advertising.
This, it says, is because the largest regional newspaper group here, Iconic Media, which has over 20 titles, is owned by Mediaforce, which itself brokers advertising space to advertising agencies on behalf of 55 regional papers.
Also, while Sky Television’s channels account for 7% of the audiences in Ireland, Sky Media also sells advertising space in Ireland on behalf of more than 20 other channels.
The study also points to the bulk of media in Ireland, outside of RTÉ and the Irish Times, being provided by outlets owned by large media conglomerates from outside of Ireland.
"The findings do not constitute a clear and present danger to media pluralism and diversity in Ireland," said Dr Roderick Flynn, Professor at DCU and research lead of the MOM Ireland.
"But they do highlight concentrations of media power not always referenced in Irish debates about regulating direct media ownership."
Coimisiún na Meán has committed to financially supporting the further development and updating of MOM over the next three years.
"Coimisiún na Meán is committed to promoting media plurality in Ireland and empowering audiences to better understand the media they use and access every day," said Celene Craig, Broadcasting Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán.
