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Housing logjams, ECB interest rate decision and Coimisiún na Meán’s tough agenda

The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

RTÉ's media sales department is seeking a sponsor for Oliver Callan’s new show on Radio 1, setting a sponsorship fee of €295,000 for 2024. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

Conn Ó Midheach's face
Conn Ó Midheach
Thu Jan 25 2024 - 06:31

The construction of almost 21,000 homes in strategic housing sites, the majority in Dublin, has been held up because of decision-making logjams at An Bord Pleanála while a further 8,000 units are on hold because of judicial reviews, according to a new report by construction firm Mitchell McDermott. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details.

Coimisiún na Meán, the new incarnation of the former Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), is approaching its first year in operation as regulator for broadcasting and online media, writes Karlin Lillington in her weekly column. It’s an odd mix. There’s no compelling reason as to why two sectors with significant and complex regulatory demands, superficially related by video, are best lumped into one body.

European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers are expected to keep interest rates unchanged for a third meeting in a row on Thursday, leaving the bank’s main refinancing rate (the rate that affects mortgages) at 4.5 per cent, while signalling the fight against inflation is far from over. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports.

A number of jobs have been cut or are under threat at Irish heirloom jewellery brand Chupi as the company’s leadership team moved to restructure the business in the face of a decline in sales, missed targets and increasing losses, writes Ian Curran.

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“Create a travel itinerary for London.” With one simple command, ChatGPT produces five days of suggestions for a trip to London, covering cultural, entertainment and shopping trips, writes Ciara O’Brien. The only thing it can’t do directly for now is make the bookings for you, though it can tell you the easiest way to do it yourself. But as generative AI is integrated into more websites and services, could that look different in a few years’ time?

RTÉ's media sales department is seeking a sponsor for Oliver Callan’s new show on Radio 1, setting a sponsorship fee of €295,000 for 2024, reports Laura Slattery. Mr Callan was confirmed last Saturday as the presenter of the station’s weekday 9am-10am slot, which has been named The Nine O’Clock Show in recent months following RTÉ's decision not to agree a new contract with Ryan Tubridy.

Blarney Woollen Mills Group saw turnover jump by more than 40 per cent to €50.28 million in its latest financial year, as its retail and hospitality businesses drove a post-pandemic boost, reports Ellen O’Regan. However, the group’s after-tax profits more than halved to €3.58 million, as directors noted increasing costs of doing business and a drop-off in other operating income.

It is getting harder and harder to find anything that stands out about smartphones. technology has advanced so much that the premium devices are more or less on a par for the most part. Once they all fell in line, one device looked fairly similar to another. And so it comes back to software and who can add the best features that people actually want, writes Ciara O’Brien in her tech review slot. You can see that with the new Samsung smartphones. The Galaxy S24 Ultra in particular looks very similar to last year’s S23 Ultra. Most of the changes are on the inside and many of them depend on this year’s buzzword: AI.

More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of senior business leaders in Ireland believe that the Irish economy will remain flat or decline this year, according to a new survey. Ellen O’Regan reports.

It is difficult to ignore the contrast between the patience the Government is showing towards businesses with warehoused tax debts and the rush to claw back Covid subsidies from PAYE workers, observes resident sage Cantillon who also hears that here’s a storm coming, according to Mediahuis Ireland chief executive Peter Vandermeersch, meaning it’s time to repair the roof – again. Just 10 months after the Irish Independent publisher announced its last voluntary redundancy scheme, it informed staff this week that another round of cuts was necessary.

Despite challenges with aircraft supply and quality, the global aviation industry is set to grow in 2024, according to forecasts. A report on the aviation industry’s outlook for this year, published by PwC on Thursday, predicts that profitability in the sector will exceed forecasts by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) due to “strong demand and robust pricing power”. Ellen O’Regan reports.

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