ACCC Publishes Submissions into Digital Platforms Inquiry

Friday 4 May 2018 @ 10.12 a.m. | IP & Media | Legal Research

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (the “ACCC”) has released some 57 submissions which were received from advertisers, consumers, digital platforms, journalists and media organisations as part of its Digital Platforms Inquiry (the “Inquiry”). Submissions to the Inquiry closed on 3 April 2018.

Background

In December 2017 the Australian Government directed the ACCC to undertake a Public Inquiry into the impact of digital platforms on competition in media and advertising services markets, in particular in relation to the supply of news and journalistic content.

The submissions canvassed a wide range of issues, including:

  • the degree of market power held by the digital platforms;
  • the digital advertising supply chain; and
  • the use of news content by digital platforms.

They also detailed the impact of digital platforms on the quality and choice of news in Australia, and the extent to which consumers are aware of how their data is collected and used.

The ACCC's Reaction

Commenting in a recent ACCC Media Release, ACCC Chairman, Rod Sims said:

“… We appreciate the effort organisations and consumers have put into the many thoughtful and helpful submissions we received. This feedback from news organisations, digital platforms, academics, advertisers, news consumers and social media users will help inform the ACCC as we conduct our inquiry. We encourage working journalists, consumers of news and advertisers to be part of our public forums. It’s vital that we hear from and understand the views of many voices interested in this inquiry.”

According to the ACCC, public forums will be held in both Melbourne (May 2018) and Sydney (August 2018).

Overview of the Submissions

The ACCC received 57 submissions in response to the inquiry, from such organisations as:

  • Australian Associated Press;
  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation;
  • Australian Communications and Media Authority;
  • Facebook Australia;
  • Google; and
  • Twitter.

Click here to view a full list of submissions received by the ACCC.

Recommendations to Government

The ACCC intends to draw on a wide range of sources before outlining possible recommendations in its Preliminary Report (the “Report”) for the Inquiry. As stated in the Digital Platforms Inquiry Issues Paper, the ACCC must submit its report to the Treasurer by 3 December 2018 and a Final Report to the Treasurer is expected before 3 June 2019.

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