ICT
UK gives Facebook, Giphy five days to address competition concerns
Britain’s competition watchdog, on Thursday, gave Facebook and Giphy five working days to offer proposals to address its concerns over their merger deal, which could affect digital advertising and the supply of animated images.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority began an initial investigation in January at a time when the U.S.-based social media network firm was under global regulatory scrutiny over antitrust concerns.
It found that Giphy, once a rival to Facebook in digital ads, through paid sponsorships outside the UK, had plans to expand sponsorship deals to other countries, including the UK.
“If Giphy and Facebook remain merged, Giphy could have less incentive to expand its digital advertising.
“This is particularly concerning given Facebook’s existing market power in display advertising,’’ the regulatory authority said.
Facebook and Giphy did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments.
The world’s largest social media company bought Giphy, a website for making and sharing animated images or GIFs in May 2020 to integrate it with its rapidly growing photo-sharing app, Instagram.
However, a source told Reuters in June that Facebook was pausing the integration.
The company had said that Giphy’s integrations with other social platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and ByteDance’s TikTok would not change.
-
Business6 days agoAbuja gears up for Jetour T2’s rugged-luxury experience
-
Business1 week agoNigeria Business Outlook: Dangote IPO, markets, inflation and naira in focus this week
-
News4 days agoUK, Canada pledge closer cooperation on trade, defence and AI
-
Business1 week agoDangote IPO rush crashes Bamboo login as investors flood platform
-
Business5 days agoTinubu’s economic reforms face public confidence test as cost-of-living crisis persists
-
Business5 days agoDangote: Petrol price gap fuels smuggling as Nigeria faces fresh pump price surge
-
Business3 days agoDangote Refinery IPO: Can small investors really make money from the shares?
-
Latest5 days agoCourt sets 7-day window for Atiku to serve Tinubu in 2027 suit


