The Federal Trade Commission, currently led by Trump-appointed chairman Andrew Ferguson, announced an unusual proposed order that would “resolve antitrust concerns” related to Omnicom‘s deal to acquire the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG).
The FTC‘s proposed order, announced Monday, “imposes restrictions that prevent Omnicom from engaging in collusion or coordination to direct advertising away from media publishers based on the publishers’ political or ideological viewpoints,” the agency said. The terms of the FTC’s proposed consent order include a series of provisions that “would eliminate Omnicom’s ability to deny advertising dollars to media publishers based on their political or ideological viewpoint, except at the express and individualized direction of Omnicom’s advertiser customers.”
The commission vote to issue the complaint and accept the consent agreement for public comment was 2-0-1, with Republican Commissioner Mark Meador recused and Ferguson and GOP Commissioner Melissa Holyoak voting in favor of it. In March, President Trump fired the two Democratic FTC commissioners, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya.
Reps for Omnicom and IPG did not respond to requests for comment on the FTC proposed order. The companies have said they expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2025.
The FTC last month opened an investigation into whether “some advertisers and watchdog groups banded together to withhold advertising dollars from online platforms and websites with conservative bents,” the New York Times reported. Ferguson has said the spending pullbacks amount to illegal boycotts, per the report, while “advertisers say they should have the freedom to spend their money as they wish.”
Omnicom and IPG are the third- and fourth-largest media buying advertising agencies in the U.S. — and together, they will be the world’s largest media buying advertising agency.
“Websites and other publications that rely on advertising are critical to the flow of our nation’s commerce and communication,” said Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Coordination among advertising agencies to suppress advertising spending on publications with disfavored political or ideological viewpoints threatens to distort not only competition between ad agencies, but also public discussion and debate. The FTC’s action today prevents unlawful coordination that targets specific political or ideological viewpoints while preserving individual advertisers’ ability to choose where their ads are placed.”
According to the FTC, members of the public will have 30 days to submit comments on the proposed consent agreement package.
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