32 media groups levy $2.3bn antitrust suit against Google over its adtech practices

The suit, filed in the Netherlands Wednesday, alleges that these media organizations have suffered significant financial losses as a result of Google’s anticompetitive practices in the digital advertising sector.

“Without Google's abuse of its dominant position, the media companies would have received significantly higher revenues from advertising and paid lower fees for ad tech services,” said Geradin Partners and Stek, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, in a statement. “Crucially, these funds could have been reinvested into strengthening the European media landscape.”

The plaintiffs behind the suit include organizations from across Europe, including Austria's Krone, Belgium's DPG Media and Mediahuis, Denmark's TV2 Danmark A/S, Finland's Sanoma, Poland's Agora, Spain's Prensa Iberica and Switzerland's Ringier.

In particular, the coalition of companies allege that Google’s outsized role in the digital advertising ecosystem has unfairly harmed their publishing businesses. The group said in a statement: “News media were negatively affected at a time when their economic model is already weakened by the decline in sales of print subscriptions and the decline in associated advertising revenue.”

Google intends to fight the case ; the company’s legal director Oliver Bethell called the lawsuit “speculative and opportunistic” in a statement. He defended Google, saying that the company works collaboratively with publishers and supports their businesses by adapting and evolving its advertising tools in partnership with them.

“We’ll oppose it vigorously and on the facts,” Bethell said in his statement.

Shares of Google dipped by more than 2% today following the news.

The development comes as antitrust scrutiny against the tech titan – and its adtech business in particular – ramps up around the world. Plaintiffs in the new case cite the French competition authority’s 2021 fine against Google’s adtech business, which totaled Є220m, as well as the European Commission’s charges from the previous year.

But it’s not just European organizations and regulators that have a bone to pick with Google over its adtech dominance. The US Department of Justice sued the search giant last year, alleging that it uses deceitful, anti-competitive approaches to secure an outsized position in the online search market. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September.

The European media coalition that sued Google today hopes that it will find success in the Netherlands, which has a track record of friendliness towards antitrust cases.

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