Competition Authority Imposes 2.6 Billion TL Fine on Google

The Competition Authority has announced the results of the investigation launched to determine whether Google violated competition in the field of online advertising and advertising technology services.
The investigation focused on Google Advertising and Marketing Ltd., Google International LLC, Google LLC, Google Ireland Limited, and Alphabet (GOOGL) Inc., examining the restrictions imposed by Google on selling advertisements through its own demand-side platforms (DSP) exclusively via its online video-sharing platform, YouTube.
Additionally, the investigation covered allegations that Google leveraged its vertically integrated structure to gain advantages for its own products and services within the online advertising technology supply chain. It was concluded that Google holds a dominant position in both its DSP and publisher ad server services, providing unfair advantages to its own SSP (AdX) service. As a result of practices that hinder competitors, Google was imposed an administrative fine of 2,607,563,963.59 TL.
Penalty for Google’s anti-competitive conduct
The Competition Authority determined that Google is dominant in the DSP services market, but found no violation regarding the claim that it directed requests from its own DSPs to its own SSP service.
However, due to anti-competitive behaviors in the publisher ad server services market, penalties were issued. Google must offer conditions to third-party SSPs that are not less favorable than those applied to its own service within six months from the notification of the reasoned decision.
This decision aims to establish a competitive environment in the market and constitutes a significant sanction against Google. The Competition Authority registered its decision with the number 24-53/1180-509, requesting Google to rectify competitive conditions in the market.