Google has been on an aggressive campaign to prove to federal antitrust authorities that the wireless ad market was young and dynamic enough that its purchase of AdMob wouldn’t pose any significant anti-competitive issues.
In the end Google won that fight, but what ultimately convinced authorities at the Federal Trade Commission was Apple’s purchase of Quattro Wireless, a rival mobile ad network.
The FTC has approved Google’s $750 million deal to acquire AdMob without conditions, much to the chagrin of some consumer advocates and the surprise of some industry watchers.
E-Commerce Guide has the story on the FTC’s approval of Google’s AdMob buy and what it could mean for the mobile advertising industry.
The Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation of Google’s proposed acquisition of AdMob, clearing the way for the deal’s approval and signaling the potential for major implications for mobile and online marketers.
With AdMob, the search giant gains a leading advertising network for mobile devices. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) paid $750 million for the firm, however, the purchase ran into early snags: Some consumer groups had opposed Google’s acquisition of AdMob on the grounds that it could drive up prices for advertisers and also, they charged, posed a risk to consumer privacy.