In a move that could shake up control of the $1.4 billion online advertising sector, Google’s acquisition target, DoubleClick, confirmed yesterday that it planned to launch an eBay-style auction system in Australia to sell online adverting space.
The commercial networks have periodically toyed with the idea of setting up their own auction platforms in the $3.7 billion TV sector but have considered the structural change too dramatic for the industry.
While some critics fear the rapid emergence of automated trading exchanges for online advertising will hand too much control globally to the likes of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!, all three companies are pressing ahead with plans to establish auction systems in key adverting markets around the world. The exchanges work by publishers listing their advertising space for buyers to bid on in real time.
