INTERNET ADVERTISING – AUSTRALIA

Watchdog targets Google’s advertising

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Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 18-Mar-19

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has told the ThinkTV conference that he wants advertising technology companies such as Google to be more transparent about their pricing. Sims says insufficient transparency means advertisers are unsure what they are paying for, and that higher advertising prices are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for goods and services. Gary Nissim, the founder and MD of search agency Indago Digital, says there is still uncertainty as to how Google calculates cost per click and how its algorithms work.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, THINK TV, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, INDAGO DIGITAL, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA

Break up Google to level field in media

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 3 : 13-Mar-19

News Corp Australia has used its submission to the Australian Competition & Consumer Com­m­ission’s landmark review of digital platforms to propose forcing Google to sell either its search or advertising business. The media group contends that forced divestment may be the best way to address the market power of digital platforms. ACCC chairman Rod Sims recently noted that digital platforms are not subject to the same regulations as traditional media companies.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Mobile ad boom hits $4.2bn

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 28 : 12-Mar-19

The latest IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report shows that spending on mobile advertising grew by 35 per cent year-on-year in 2018, to $4.2bn. Online advertising expenditure totalled $8.8bn overall, which is 11 per cent higher than in 2017. Spending on general display advertising totalled $3.3bn, with search and directories accounting for $3.4bn of the annual expenditure.

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INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING BUREAU AUSTRALIA, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD

Digital titans far from ad land’s biggest problem

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Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 12-Dec-18

Adveritas CEO Matthew Ratty estimates that advertising networks account for up to 40 per cent of fraudulent online ad revenue in Australia each year, making them a larger problem for the sector than digital giants such as Google and Facebook. He says the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s proposed crackdown on digital platforms should be broadened to include ad networks. Meanwhile, Indago Digital’s Tom Sadler says all advertisers that spend more than $5,000 a month online should use a third-party verification tool.

CORPORATES
ADVERITAS LIMITED – ASX AV1, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, INDAGO DIGITAL, DIGIVIZER PTY LTD, ESSENCE, GROUPM COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD, UBER TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED

Unlockd roadkill after flying too near Google

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 17 & 27 : 14-Jun-18

Australian mobile advertising technology group Unlockd was heavily reliant on Google’s app store and AdMob advertising platform. Right Click Capital partner Ben Chong says Unlockd’s descent into voluntary administration demonstrates the risks of a business model which is similar to that of Google itself. Unlockd had proposed an IPO that was tipped to raise around $A80m, and the start-up had previously attracted funding of more than $A60m from private investors.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, RIGHT CLICK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, McGRATH NICOL AND PARTNERS SERVICES PTY LTD

Unlockd falls to Google threat and enters administration

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 13-Jun-18

Australian advertising technology group Unlockd has been placed in the hands of administrators from insolvency firm McGrath Nicol. Unlockd has attributed its descent into voluntary administration to the actions of Google, which has sought to ban Unlockd’s app from its Play Store and AdMob platforms. Courts in Australia and the UK have ruled in favour of Unlockd in its legal dispute with Google, which has been accused of engaging in "anti-competitive" conduct.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, McGRATH NICOL AND PARTNERS SERVICES PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES, MTV MUSIC TELEVISION, CITIBANK PTY LTD, CATCH-OF-THE-DAY.COM.AU

ABC to spend up big on digital ads

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-May-18

The ABC’s CFO Louise Higgins has revealed that the public broadcaster will allocate around $1.4m to advertising on Facebook during 2018, while its budget for Google’s AdWords will be about $A500,000. However, Higgins has rejected suggestions that the ABC is using taxpayers’ funds to compete with commercial TV networks. She also told a Senate estimates committee hearing that the ABC has an obligation to make consumers aware of the content it produces.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Seven takes battle to tech giants

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 23-Apr-18

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes says digital giants Google and Facebook should be subject to the same regulatory regime as Australian media companies, to ensure a level playing field in the advertising market. Seven’s submission to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s inquiry into the impact of digital platforms on the media and advertising markets has recommended that Facebook and Google should pay a fee for distributing content from traditional media companies. Seven also argues that audience measurement data for ads on Google and Facebook should be subject to independent audits.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Unlockd pulls IPO following Google threat

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 16 : 17-Apr-18

Mobile advertising start-up Unlockd has been forced to abandon plans for an IPO after Google advised that its app does not comply with its terms of use. Unlockd’s app, which works by giving smartphone users a discount on their bill in return for seeing ads and other content when they unlock their phone, only works on phones that use Google’s Android platform. Unlockd co-founder Matt Berriman notes that Google previously had no problems with its app, and its action appears to have been prompted by the proposed IPO.

CORPORATES
UNLOCKD PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, EUROPEAN COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Foxtel reacts to Facebook woes by slashing ad spend

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 6 : 13-Apr-18

Pay-TV company Foxtel will reduce the proportion of its marketing budget that is allocated to advertising on Facebook. The move follows the data breach scandal and the two-day testimony of CEO Mark Zuckerberg before the US Congress. Foxtel’s chief marketing officer Andy Lark says that Facebook is a media company rather than a technology company, and it should start acting like one. He adds that despite recent changes to Facebook’s privacy policy, the underlying problems exposed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal have not been addressed.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRIVACY COMMISSIONER, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS