Alphabet is said to have proposed to the European Commission to allow competing advertising companies on YouTube so that they can sell advertising. The proposed concession would be a response to competition investigation.
Alphabet would like to allow rival ad companies to advertise on YouTube in the hopes of addressing European competition concerns. An antitrust investigation into Google is underway and the commitments will enable Alphabet to reach a settlement without fines. That writes Reuters based on sources who are familiar with the matter.
The European Commission’s competition investigation focuses, among other things, on the mandatory use of Google’s services Ad Manager, Display & Video 360 and Google Ads on YouTube by advertisers. This would give the company an unfair advantage and limit the opportunities for competitors on the platform.
Alphabet and the European Commission have been discussing measures to reduce market power for more than a year. Google’s parent company would have to make more concessions than the named proposal to reach a settlement, according to Reuters.