The Federal Trade Commission has approved a $13.5 billion merger between advertising giants Omnicom and Interpublic Group, but only after securing an agreement to end coordinated exclusion of publishers based on political or ideological content. The consent order prevents the companies from aligning ad practices that could limit market access over viewpoint concerns.
This enforcement action follows growing scrutiny of political bias within industry-wide ad placement practices. The FTC’s consent decree requires the companies to halt any collusion with third-party groups that previously recommended excluding certain platforms. The firms must also submit to annual reviews for five years and cooperate with related investigations.
The move highlights a shift in federal oversight, extending traditional antitrust scrutiny to cover viewpoint-based market discrimination. Regulators made clear that large advertising firms cannot coordinate to restrict legal content based on subjective classifications.
Public comments on the consent order are open for 30 days. The decision may set precedent for future reviews of consolidation within the advertising sector.
