Legal update: archive, ACCC releases Digital Advertising Services Final Report outlines the conclusions and recommendations made by the ACCC as well as the background to the Digital Advertising Services Inquiry.

On 28 September 2021, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released its Digital advertising services inquiry – Final report for the Digital Advertising Services Inquiry. The Digital Advertising Services Inquiry looked into the markets for the supply of advertising technology services and advertising agency services.

Following an 18-month inquiry, the ACCC concluded that competition for advertising technology services in Australia is ineffective and has made six recommendations which aim to increase transparency and address anti-competitive conduct within the advertising technology supply chain.

The ACCC will consider the need for broader regulatory changes to digital platforms markets as part of its Digital Platform Services Inquiry – Interim Report due September 2022 (see ACCC: Digital platform services inquiry: September 2022 interim report). This will be the mid-term report of the five-year Digital Platform Services Inquiry from 2020-2025. Stakeholder consultation on whether such regulation is necessary and on the design of any such rules, will commence in early 2022.

For more background information on the Digital Platform Services Inquiry and the ACCC's findings as set out in the 2019 Digital Platforms Inquiry: Final Report, see Practice note, ACCC's Final Report of the Digital Platforms Inquiry and Legal update: archive, ACCC sets its sights on ad tech: Digital Platforms Inquiry Final Report to have major implications across the stack.

For a list of resources on Practical Law related to advertising and marketing, see Toolkit, Advertising and marketing.