FTC Will Investigate All Ad Deals

While much has been made of the Federal Trade Commission’s plans to investigate the Google-DoubleClick merger, the Wall Street Journal said late Thursday that it also plans to look into Microsoft’s acquistion of Aquantive and Yahoo’s proposed buyout of Right Media. A Microsoft representative confirmed it had been notified of the investigation, and Yahoo acknowledged its deal needed “regulatory clearance.”

The FTC is not the only group with concerns about the acquisitions. Both the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers have asked regulators to carefully consider both deals, as they may be harmful to competition.