Channel 6 Founder Sets Up New Venture

CANNES: Michael Murphy, who founded Channel 6 (now 3E) in Ireland, has set up an international rights management, broadcast and digital media consultancy, Rockabill Media, with TV3 on board as its first client.

Through Rockabill Media, Murphy will negotiate international content rights on behalf of TV broadcasters and digital content providers, and will consult on digital media and strategy. “The time is ripe for a business like Rockabill,” said Murphy. “In the current economic climate when media companies are under advertising revenue pressure and are focused on day-to-day operations, few businesses have the resources to focus on strategy and rights management. This is an area where new-media companies, in particular, can save huge amounts on content through expert negotiation. As mobility becomes ever more pervasive and broadband is rolled out, digital media remains a massive growth area and is a sector for which we see big opportunities. I look forward to a very healthy future for Rockabill Media.”

For its first client, TV3—which acquired Channel 6 in 2008 and rebranded it to 3E—Rockabill will focus on the broadcaster’s digital-media strategy.