14 DAY TRIAL // Google owns the world’s largest online advertising network, something that helped it become one of the most powerful and richest tech companies in the world. But its position also made it a target for government regulators all over the world. While it managed to steer clear of trouble so far, it looks like its luck may be out. The US Federal Trade Commission is currently investigating its acquisitions proposition of the AdMob mobile advertising company and reports indicate that the government is working to block the deal. In the event that it does, Google says it’s prepared to fight the decision.
In an interview with Reuters, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the company would not stand idly by if the acquisition were blocked by regulators. "We're likely to fight very hard," he said. "It's a very strategic acquisition for Google." He also mentioned that he expected the FTC to come to a decision within a few weeks. FTC’s ruling on the matter was expected to arrive a couple of weeks ago, but it seems that Google will have to wait for a while longer.
Google made its intentions to buy AdMob public last year, when it made a $750 million offer for the company. At present, AdMob is the largest advertising network in the mobile space; however, its position is nothing like what Google enjoys elsewhere online. AdMob’s market share is only slightly ahead that of its competitors. What’s more, the mobile ad market is still rather small and volatile.
However, since Google already dominates web advertising, the FTC doesn’t want it to do the same for mobile ads. There have been several reports of the regulators’ apparent determination to get reasons and opinions from third-parties against the acquisition. While Google waits for a decision, Apple has been able to buy AdMob competitor Quattro Wireless, integrate its products and launch a mobile ad network dubbed iAd.