Google has submitted a broad plan to change how it runs its ad-technology business in Europe after the company was fined €3 billion for unfair “self-preferencing.”
The EU said Google used its strong position in parts of the ad chain to favor its own services. In response, Google will let publishers set ad prices through Ad Manager and make its ad tools work better with other systems. This should allow advertisers to buy space across more sites and let publishers combine tools that match their content and audience.
Google says the changes will be rolled out in stages so publishers and advertisers can test them and avoid major disruption. The company has not given firm dates for each step.
The EU has suggested that full compliance could require Google to sell or split parts of its ad business. Google disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal, calling the fine too large. While the appeal goes on, Google will keep running its ad services and slowly introduce the new features to show it can follow EU rules.
The global ad market is expected to reach about $757.5 billion in 2025, with Google forecast to generate roughly $205 billion. That large share has drawn close regulatory scrutiny and led to this push for change.
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