Business Insider sues Google over alleged monopolisation of digital ad market

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Business Insider has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of anti-competitive practices that have unlawfully monopolised the digital advertising market. In an 89-page complaint, the publication claimed Google uses its control over publisher ad serving to dictate how inventory is sold, giving itself an unfair advantage over rival exchanges.

According to the complaint seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Business Insider alleged that Google’s strategy involves intertwining its publisher ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), with its advertising exchange, AdX. This integration, the publication said, allows Google to stifle competition and suppress revenue for publishers.

Don't miss: Google hit with lawsuit by adtech firm over alleged anticompetitive practices

“With that control, Google routs publishers’ inventory to its own exchange without having to compete against rival exchanges,” the filing said.

It added that millions of small- and medium-sized advertisers now use Google Ads exclusively to bid for digital ad space, with that demand available to publishers only if they sell inventory through AdX. Business Insider said this dependency leaves it with no alternative to access advertising spending from smaller advertisers, who are disproportionately likely to use Google Ads as their demand-side platform.

The lawsuit also alleges that Google has engaged in manipulative practices in ad auctions and real-time bidding. Business Insider highlighted the ‘Last Look’ feature, which allegedly allowed Google to view competitors’ bids before submitting its own, creating an unfair advantage. The complaint also criticised ‘Dynamic Allocation’, which pits non-guaranteed demand against guaranteed campaigns for ad impressions, and the ‘Unified Auctions minimum bid scheme’, which reportedly lets Google leverage insider knowledge of the lowest winning bids for its own gain.

When MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out, Google said “These allegations are meritless. Advertisers and publishers have many choices and when they choose Google’s ad tech tools it’s because they are effective, affordable and easy to use.”

This move comes as independent adtech company PubMatic has filed a separate lawsuit against Google in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. PubMatic is seeking damages and a level playing field in the digital advertising market, arguing that Google’s “monopolistic and anticompetitive behaviour” has stifled competition, limited its ability to grow market share, and hampered revenue.

The lawsuits follow an April 2025 ruling by the same court, which found that Google had “willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power” in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising. PubMatic said Google’s dominance has deprived publishers and advertisers of fair competition, driving up ad costs, reducing content diversity, and limiting transparency for consumers.

PubMatic added that it hopes to hold Google accountable while restoring a more competitive digital advertising landscape — one where innovation can thrive, competition is genuine, and the open internet continues to serve as a broad source of information and opportunity.

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