March 18, 2019

In response to publication of the Furman report from the Digital Competition Expert Panel, the NMA said:

“The NMA gave evidence to Jason Furman and his panel and we welcome today’s report which concludes that the tech giants have simply become too dominant and the market must now be opened up to ensure greater choice for consumers and competition for businesses.”

The NMA noted that one of the report’s recommendations was for a market study by the Competition and Markets Authority into the digital advertising market, which the NMA says is “dominated by two players and suffers from a lack of transparency”. The NMA says that it has been calling for the past two years for the Government and regulators to investigate this market.

The NMA concluded: “There is now a growing chorus of voices, from Cairncross to the Lords and Commons Communications Committees, government departments and now the Furman Panel, demanding action. All recognise that distortion and opacity in the digital advertising market is fuelling many of the problems around online harms, data privacy, fake news and damage to a free press.” To read the NMA’s response in full, click here.