Competition Board and Google Investigation Results
Competition Board, Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition In order to determine whether there has been a violation of Article 6 Google completed the investigation that he had initiated regarding the Google yaklaşık 2,6 billion TL It was decided to impose a fine. So, what are the details of this investigation and how will its results affect the sector?
Allegations Examined as Part of the Investigation
Investigation, Google's YouTube examined some of the practices Google has implemented in the field of online video advertising through its platform. First, online video sharing platform “YouTube” It has been questioned that YouTube has imposed restrictions on its inventory being purchased only through its own demand-side platforms (DSPs), which it says impacts the ability of independent service providers to verify and measure YouTube ads.
It was also alleged that Google, within the framework of a vertically integrated structure, exhibited favoritism towards its own products and services in the online advertising technology services supply chain. In particular, it was alleged that Google directed inventory purchase requests from its own DSPs to its own supply-side platforms (SSPs) and favored its own SSP service (AdX) in the process.
Competition Board's Evaluations
The Competition Board conducted detailed examinations on two main markets during the investigation process:
- DSP Services Market: There was evidence that Google was dominant in the DSP services market. However, no violations were found with respect to Google’s alleged forwarding of inventory purchase requests from its DSPs to its own supply-side platform.
- SSP Services Market: It was determined that Google had a dominant position in the publisher ad server services market, that it used this position to provide unfair advantage to its own SSP service and complicate the activities of competitors.
Importance of the Punishment Given
As a result of the decision taken by the Competition Board, 2.607.563.963,59 TL to Google It has been decided to impose an administrative fine. This fine is not only a financial obligation, but also a message that will affect the dynamics of competition in the sector. Google is requested to provide third-party SSPs with conditions that are no less favorable than those applied to its own service within six months from the notification of the reasoned decision.
The Future of Competition in the Market
Such decisions are of critical importance for the functioning of the market. This decision taken by the Competition Board, Google It aims to prevent large technology companies such as from abusing their market dominance and putting other competitors in a difficult situation. In this context, it will set an example for other companies to avoid similar situations. In addition, it is expected to create a more equal environment in the market for independent service providers.
As a result
The Competition Board's penalty against Google is not only a sanction, but also shows the effectiveness of the control mechanisms in the sector. This situation is also a warning to other major technology companies and is an important step for the healthy functioning of the competitive environment. In the future, it is expected that such controls will increase and more measures will be taken to protect competition.
