Competition watchdog the ACCC has reportedly expressed concern at Google’s dominance of the $3.4 billion digital display advertising market in Australia.
The Australian newspaper has details of the ACCC’s interim report into digital advertising services due to be made public later today.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report covers the lack of competition and transparency, the ability for Google to favour its own business interests, and the impact on publishers, advertisers and consumers.
“Effective competition in the adtech industry is important for Australian consumers. If advertisers pay too much for digital advertising, the costs will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for goods and services,” the report states, according to The Australian.
“If publishers receive too little revenue for their advertising inventory, consumers will face a reduction in the quality and variety of online content.”
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg noted the ACCC’s concerns over competitiveness and the continued dominance of tech giants. He looks forward to the final report later this year.
The latest inquiry report comes as Google says it will withdraw Australian news from its search function if the federal government goes ahead with laws forcing the digital platforms to pay publishers for premium news.
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