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US: DOJ to look at impact online ads on local TV ads

By  |  January 30, 2019

Department of Justice (DOJ) 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 the regulator should adjust its merger reviews.

The comment came in a Q&A at the State of the Net conference in Washington, DC, with Variety Washington correspondent chief Ted Johnson. The DOJ 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 signaled that the DOJ is interested in learning more about what factors it should consider when looking at the local TV ad marketplace and the impact of online advertising.

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