Digital advertising services inquiry

On 10 February 2020 the Australian Government directed the ACCC to conduct an inquiry into markets for the supply of digital advertising technology services and digital advertising agency services.

The ACCC must give the Treasurer an interim report on the inquiry by 31 December 2020 and complete the inquiry and provide a final report to the Treasurer by 31 August 2021.

The ACCC published an issues paper for the inquiry on 10 March 2020. This paper provides further details of the inquiry’s areas of focus.

Scope of inquiry

Matters to be considered by the inquiry include, but are not limited to:

• the competitiveness and efficiency of markets for the supply of digital advertising technology services and digital advertising agency services
• the availability to advertisers, publishers and other market participants of information on activities in those markets
• the concentration of power in those markets
• auction and bidding processes
• the impact of mergers and acquisitions in those markets
• the behaviour of suppliers in those markets
• whether the corporate structures of suppliers, or contractual arrangements between suppliers and customers, have a negative effect on competition or informed decision making in those markets
• the distribution of digital display advertising expenditure between publishers, digital advertising technology services providers and advertising agencies
• how competition in those markets impacts on competition in the market for the supply of digital display advertising services.

Further details of the matters to be considered in the inquiry are provided in the Ministerial direction.