MacAnthony attended a business college in London, but left after three months. He formed the property group Macanthony Realty International (MRI) in 2000, selling overseas holiday homes to mainly Irish and British customers. From a head office in Marbella, the company offered properties in countries including the Bahamas, Bulgaria, Cyprus and the Dominican Republic, with MacAnthony stating in 2005 that he gave the number of his personal mobile telephone to clients. In 2006, MacAnthony funded a satellite TV channel, Overseas Property TV.