The Google logo is pictured at the entrance to the Google offices in London, Britain January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Alphabet device Google (GOOGL.O) on Friday turned the focus on of an antitrust criticism by the European Publishers Council more than its digital promotion business, which could probably strengthen EU antitrust main Margrethe Vestager’s investigation into the difficulty.

Google made $147 billion in earnings from on-line advertisements in 2020, extra than any other corporation in the entire world, with ads including look for, YouTube and Gmail accounting for the bulk of its overall gross sales and revenue. examine extra

About 16% of its revenue arrived from the company’s exhibit or network organization, in which other media providers use Google technologies to market adverts on their website and apps.

The European Fee opened an investigation in June into regardless of whether Google favours its very own on the web screen marketing engineering providers to the detriment of rivals, advertisers and on-line publishers. read additional

The publishers’ trade system, whose customers incorporate Axel Springer (SPRGn.S), News British isles, Conde Nast, Bonnier Information and Editorial Prensa Iberica, took its grievance to the European Commission, alleging Google has an adtech stranglehold in excess of push publishers.

“It is substantial time for the European Fee to impose steps on Google that basically alter, not just obstacle, its behaviour,” EPC Chairman Christian Van Thillo explained in a assertion.

“Google has attained conclude-to-close management of the advert tech value chain, boasting marketplace shares as high as 90-100% in segments of the ad tech chain,” he said.

Vestager, who has fined Google far more than 8 billion euros ($9.2 billion) in latest many years for anti-aggressive methods in a few scenarios, past 12 months introduced the investigation into Google’s electronic marketing company. study a lot more

Google has claimed it would have interaction constructively with the Commission.

($1 = .8714 euros)

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee. Enhancing by Jane Merriman

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