‘I worry a lot about the abuse that our presenters take’: Virgin Media boss after Elaine Crowley, Muireann O’Connell and other stars speak out | Irish,Independent
Flor Lynch
‘I worry a lot about the abuse that our presenters take’: Virgin Media boss after Elaine Crowley, Muireann O’Connell and other stars speak out
Anthony Nilan says station is ‘keeping a close eye on situation’ and has asked presenters to inform management of serious incidents
Head of content at Virgin Media has expressed 'serious concerns' about the level of online hate being directed at the station’s on-air talent
Anthony Nilan says station is ‘keeping a close eye on situation’ and has asked presenters to inform management of serious incidents
The head of content at Virgin Media has expressed “serious concerns” about the level of online hate being directed at the station’s on-air talent.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Anthony Nilan said that the station is working with stars to help them deal with the abuse, and the station is “hyper-aware” of the problem.
I worry a lot about the abuse that our presenters take
“I worry a lot about the abuse that our presenters take. It has become a bigger issue in the last few years and it’s something we are keeping a close eye on as an organisation,” he said.
Mr Nilan said the station has requested that presenters inform bosses of serious incidents. The majority of harassment is directed at female television personalities, but male stars are also targeted, he said.
“We have quite a diverse line-up, and pretty much every person we have on air is in some way getting it. A lot of it would be very angry, there have been threats, and it’s certainly something that we are hyper-aware of,” Mr Nilan said.
“I find it so concerning that I am almost at times telling them that ‘if we need to pull back, lets have that discussion’, because I want to protect them,” he added.
In recent days Elaine Crowley has described trolling as “part of the course” in her job.
Virgin Media star Muireann O’Connell also has spoken about the online abuse she received after her father died
“You get a lot of bitchy comments when you’re a woman about your appearance. We’re judged on what we look like and that’s just the way it is,” she said.
Elaine Crowley said you get a lot of bitchy comments when you’re a woman about your appearance
Virgin Media star Muireann O’Connell has also spoken about the online abuse she received after her father died.
In 2023, Anna Daly, who has since left the station, also recalled how online comments “stopped me in my tracks”. Her worst experience came while heavily pregnant. “In the very early stages of joining Ireland AM, the texts used to come in on a screen in front of us and me, like an eejit rookie, used to read them. I genuinely wanted to know if people liked me and if I was doing an OK job.
“I do remember being heavily pregnant, feeling great, running from studio to garden to kitchen, so delighted that I had a healthy pregnancy and everything was going well and thinking I was fabulously blooming and then I read the texts and they stopped me in my tracks.”
“One man texted to say: ‘Would someone send that poor girl home, she looks like she is about to burst.’
“It was at a time when I was looking for approval in the early days and hoping I was doing everything right — I thought to myself, ‘oh my God, everyone is looking at me thinking I should go home’.”
Mr Nilan was speaking as part of the Virgin Media TV launch on Thursday where the station announced Ryan Tubridy is to return to Irish television on Virgin Media. He will be interviewed by a frank panel of neurodivergent people for The Assembly. Tubridy is the first person in the hot seat, followed by comedian and podcaster Joanne McNally.
The TV launch also unveiled a number of new real-life crime documentaries including The Showjumper Murder which delves into the killing of Katie Simpson, and Shergar: The IRA & The Racehorse which attempts to solve the mystery of the Derby-winning racehorse taken from an Irish stud farm.
In light entertainment Louis Walsh, Dave Fanning and Rosie O’Donnell will be part of the line-up for the celebrity editions of the new Gogglebox Ireland.
Anthony Nilan says station is ‘keeping a close eye on situation’ and has asked presenters to inform management of serious incidents
The head of content at Virgin Media has expressed “serious concerns” about the level of online hate being directed at the station’s on-air talent.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Anthony Nilan said that the station is working with stars to help them deal with the abuse, and the station is “hyper-aware” of the problem.
I worry a lot about the abuse that our presenters take
“I worry a lot about the abuse that our presenters take. It has become a bigger issue in the last few years and it’s something we are keeping a close eye on as an organisation,” he said.
Mr Nilan said the station has requested that presenters inform bosses of serious incidents. The majority of harassment is directed at female television personalities, but male stars are also targeted, he said.
“We have quite a diverse line-up, and pretty much every person we have on air is in some way getting it. A lot of it would be very angry, there have been threats, and it’s certainly something that we are hyper-aware of,” Mr Nilan said.
“I find it so concerning that I am almost at times telling them that ‘if we need to pull back, lets have that discussion’, because I want to protect them,” he added.
In recent days Elaine Crowley has described trolling as “part of the course” in her job.
Virgin Media star Muireann O’Connell also has spoken about the online abuse she received after her father died
“You get a lot of bitchy comments when you’re a woman about your appearance. We’re judged on what we look like and that’s just the way it is,” she said.
Elaine Crowley said you get a lot of bitchy comments when you’re a woman about your appearance
Virgin Media star Muireann O’Connell has also spoken about the online abuse she received after her father died.
In 2023, Anna Daly, who has since left the station, also recalled how online comments “stopped me in my tracks”. Her worst experience came while heavily pregnant. “In the very early stages of joining Ireland AM, the texts used to come in on a screen in front of us and me, like an eejit rookie, used to read them. I genuinely wanted to know if people liked me and if I was doing an OK job.
“I do remember being heavily pregnant, feeling great, running from studio to garden to kitchen, so delighted that I had a healthy pregnancy and everything was going well and thinking I was fabulously blooming and then I read the texts and they stopped me in my tracks.”
“One man texted to say: ‘Would someone send that poor girl home, she looks like she is about to burst.’
“It was at a time when I was looking for approval in the early days and hoping I was doing everything right — I thought to myself, ‘oh my God, everyone is looking at me thinking I should go home’.”
Mr Nilan was speaking as part of the Virgin Media TV launch on Thursday where the station announced Ryan Tubridy is to return to Irish television on Virgin Media. He will be interviewed by a frank panel of neurodivergent people for The Assembly. Tubridy is the first person in the hot seat, followed by comedian and podcaster Joanne McNally.
The TV launch also unveiled a number of new real-life crime documentaries including The Showjumper Murder which delves into the killing of Katie Simpson, and Shergar: The IRA & The Racehorse which attempts to solve the mystery of the Derby-winning racehorse taken from an Irish stud farm.
In light entertainment Louis Walsh, Dave Fanning and Rosie O’Donnell will be part of the line-up for the celebrity editions of the new Gogglebox Ireland.