The Stack: Google Named a Monopoly; X Against Advertisers; TikTok Lite Terminated in EU

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 9th Aug 2024 in News

This week on The Stack: Google Named a Monopoly; X Against Advertisers; TikTok Lite Terminated in EU; Today's MadTech Daily Podcast

This week was shaped by more Google-related breaking news – the tech titan lost its recent antitrust case with the DoJ, with the judge ruling that “Google is a monopolist” and had monopolised the search market. We now await Google’s September trial regarding its digital ads. Our panel at ATS London next month, “The Break Up of Google”, will explore what its phaseout could look like, and what it means for the industry.

X also dominated headlines this week, announcing that it would be suing major industry groups and advertisers for unlawfully boycotting the platform, including the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, the World Federation of Advertisers, and companies such as Unilever. Online video platform Rumble decided to join in on the action, seeking damages and a declaration that the defendants’ conduct is illegal, among other things. The news made big waves in the industry, although legal experts predict the lawsuits are unlikely to succeed.

TikTok experienced some turbulence too: the video platform finally terminated its Lite rewards function in Europe, following the European Commission’s investigation into the feature. The app had allowed users to earn points by watching and liking videos, for example, which could be exchanged for Amazon vouchers.

On a more positive note, Google also introduced new Performance Max features in order to improve transparency for advertisers and give them greater control over where their ads appear. New features include conversion metrics in asset-level reporting, and YouTube video in-placement reporting to ensure ads are shown in brand-suitable places.