Date: 03-10-2008
European regulators are expected to approve the impending Google-DoubleClick billion-dollar deal, in spite of concerns within the EU commission, without any significant conditions and ado. The deal, which came under heavy scrutiny due to antitrust issues raised by privacy advocates, will set the stage for Google to launch itself in the broader arena of online advertising markets. Microsoft had also lent a vociferous attack upon the proposed takeover maintaining that Google will be handed over limitless power in the early stages of the online ad business through the deal. The Federal Commission had shown a clean chit to the proposed alliance late last year and EU has never disapproved any merger approved by U.S. authorities since the last six years. The transaction will part of the consolidation within the online ad industry with similar deals being made by Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Time Warner’s AOL.
