Google is reaching out to mobile companies for help in getting their proposed Admob acquisition cleared by the FTC. Specifically, they’re asking select companies to write letters in support of the deal, which Google will then forward to the FTC.
We spoke with one mobile advertising company this afternoon that received the request from Google. The company was asked to write their thoughts on “Do you think mobile advertising is going to keep growing, and that Google’s acquisition of Admob won’t hurt your business or decrease competition in the mobile market?”
Last week Bloomberg reported that the FTC had reached out to Admob competitors about the deal. Our source that was contacted by Google says they were also contacted by the FTC months ago about the deal. Since then, silence.
Oddly enough, we had also heard recently that Google was actually looking for ways to back out of the Admob deal, which clearly isn’t the case based on this new information today. But there is speculation that Apple will change their SDK to require application developers to use Quattro Wireless if they want to include ads in their iPhone/iPad apps. That change would likely be paired with an argument that consumer safety requires Apple to filter these ads.
Hi,
Most of the competition/warnings were ignored last time with Doubleclick, but this is no different, they’ll completely integrate with the existing Adwords Accounts and then bang, except for Apple, they’ll own the mobile ad-space internationally.
What would be the situation if the tables were turned, and this was Microsoft in the 90′s?
It should be prevented, or heavily conditional, even if the current market-effect might not be immediately damaging right now.
Kind regards,
Shakir Razak
This FTC is just being manipulated by a group of scare company wh fears about the impending google domination on the coming decade, Will Admob be The New Adsense for Mobile?
http://bit.ly/admob-the-new-adsense-for-mobile
All this Apple versus Google strikes me as “old wine in a new bottle” Very reminiscent of the Apple versus Microsoft battles of the past.
Certainly, things are heating up – quickly. This whole “battle” strikes me as very weird but, the competition is sure good for us consumers.
You shouldn’t ask people to write your fan mail to the government for you.
http://bit.ly/9VHWMd
It should be on a voluntary basis. This is right up there with what Microsoft used to do.
I just thought of something.
Wouldn’t it be funny if Google took the same stance in the USA as it does in China.
Like they would say to the FTC:
We don’t care if you don’t like this M&A.
We’re f’ing Google, we’re doing it anyway, and if you penalize us, we’ll LEAVE the F’ING USA F’CKERS!!!
Americans EVERYWHERE will suffer when we delist from NASDAQ and relist exclusively on the RTS worldwide!!!
Why aren’t they as bold with America? hmmm…
Sure, we’ll write a letter. Who should we address it to?
Seems like Apple might need some letters if they require use of Quattro (excluding other mobile ad servers).
Who is after Admob and Quattro in the mobile ad space?
There’s a bunch of them; Inmobi, Millenial, Jumptap. Several potential acquirers too; Y!, MSFT, RIM, Nokia. This will be a very interesting space for the next 18 months
“But there is speculation that Apple will change their SDK to require application developers to use Quattro Wireless if they want to include ads in their iPhone/iPad apps. ”
Where the hell did this come from?
That would be so ridiculous and completely unacceptable. And if true, another reason to hope Apple dies, and soon.
oh look, the monopoly trying to get another monopoly
This is a goose. It lays golden eggs. Perhaps if I make soup from it and serve it to my family, we’ll all defecate solid gold.
Sheesh – don’t these guys remember their Aesop, Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson? Or don’t kids grow up with that any more?
I prefer to stay anonymous, but my viewpoint is that FTC getting in the way of the AdMob deal does not make much sense.
Either you punish Google because it’s Google and it’s so freaking strong already, or purchasing admob is not different from purchasing one of the many mobile ad companies around.