Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to commence two new inquiries into digital platforms and online advertising.

The Digital platform services inquiry will take place over the course of five years, with a final report to be handed to the Treasurer by March 31, 2025.

Matters to be considered in the inquiry include:

• the intensity of competition in markets for the supply of digital platform services, with particular regard to the concentration of power, the behaviour of suppliers, mergers and acquisitions, barriers to entry or expansion and changes in the range of services offered by suppliers of digital platform services
• practices of suppliers in digital platform services markets which may result in consumer harm
• market trends that may affect the nature and characteristics of digital platform services
• developments in markets for the supply of digital platform services outside Australia.

Digital advertising services will take place over the course of 2020, with an interim report on the inquiry to be completed by December 31, 2020 and a final report to be completed by August 31, 2021.

Matters to be considered by the inquiry include, but are not limited to:

• the competitiveness and efficiency of markets for the supply of digital advertising technology services and digital advertising agency services
• the availability to advertisers, publishers and other market participants of information on activities in those markets
• the concentration of power in those markets
• auction and bidding processes
• the impact of mergers and acquisitions in those markets
• the behaviour of suppliers in those markets
• whether the corporate structures of suppliers, or contractual arrangements between suppliers and customers, have a negative effect on competition or informed decision making in those markets
• the distribution of digital display advertising expenditure between publishers, digital advertising technology services providers and advertising agencies
• how competition in those markets impacts on competition in the market for the supply of digital display advertising services.