AfterDawn: News

FTC OKs Google purchase of AdMob

Late last year, Google announced it intended to buy mobile ad giant AdMob for $750 million USD.

After over six months of delays, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cleared the purchase, thanks in part to Google's arch rival Apple.



Earlier this year, Apple purchased the third largest mobile ad company, Quattro Wireless, and used it as the backbone of its new iAd platform on the iPad and iPhone.

The FTC had been concerned that Google (the world's largest ad platform) merging with AdMob (world's largest mobile ad platform) would violate anti-trust laws. Apple joining the fray eased those concerns.

Says Jeff Shinder, former special counsel to the FTC: "The presence of Apple made it for hard for the commission to construct a merger challenge that it felt it could win."

Apple had tried to purchase AdMob first, but Google swooped in with a higher bid.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 May 2010 21:02

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• 4 comments

• KillerBug

  So it is OK to be monopolistic, but only if your competition is doing the same...sounds a lot like government.

  21.5.2010 23:14 #1

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by KillerBug: So it is OK to be monopolistic, but only if your competition is doing the same...sounds a lot like government. If Apple hadn't bought Quattro Wireless the FTC would have said "No way" to Google because they would own the largest ad provider online and specifically for mobile devices.
  
  Apple was never directly involved in serving ads until they purchased Quattro Wireless so I don't see how them buying Quattro Wireless qualifies as being monopolistic. They bought Quattro Wireless to help keep as much control on the iPhone and iPad as possible, which is what Steve Jobs likes best but I don't see that as being monopolistic.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  22.5.2010 02:24 #2

• KillerBug

  When you control all the ads on a certain device, that is at least very close to a monopoly...they should have spanked Apple for buying Quattro; rather than giving the green light to google.

  22.5.2010 04:38 #3

• Mr-Movies

  Since when lately has the government cared about violations of anti-trust just look at the recent Sirius XM merger. More and More big companies seem to own everything look at Time Warner. It won't be long and One company will own all of the major companies in the US. Plus the government is in line to monoplize the Health Care industry them selves which they should never do if that isn't against anti-trust and fair trade policies then I say smoke another blunt.
  

  31.5.2010 11:19 #4