DOJ To Look at Impact of Online Advertising on Local TV Ads

Department of Justice antitrust chief Makan Delrahim says that the DOJ will be holding a two-day workshop on the impact of online advertising on the local broadcast TV market, and whether it should adjust its merger reviews given the argument that the edge is now competing for the local car dealer ads and should be considered part of the relevant competitive market. Justice has been considering the issue in relation to a couple of recent merger reviews, Delrahim pointed out, specifically the aborted Sinclair-Tribune merger, and the follow-up Nexstar-Tribune merger. Delrahim said that in some ways Google is not so different from broadcasters, which raises the possibility of including them both in the same competitive market, something broadcasters have long argued is the case. The more competitors in a market, the less Justice needs to worry about anticompetitive effects of mergers.