Latest from Next TV in Iac

Wyden Presses Google on IAC Relationship

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:27:49 +0000

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is seeking information from Google about its relationship with Barry Diller's IAC/InteractiveCorp. and others over paying companies like IAC to change default search engine settings in consumer Web browsers to generate traffic referral fees.

That came in a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Wyden has been investigating the practice and says that a request back in February for a briefing from Google on its relationship with IAC and other browser extension companies did not result in a briefing, or a response to a series of such requests over the succeeding several months.

Wyden cited a Wall Street Journal story that according to a Google internal audit, the company's own investigation concluded that IAC's behavior was "egregious" and its web extensions should be removed from the Chrome Web Store, but that had not happened.

Wyden said Google's continued financial relationship with IAC raised serious questions that he wanted answered.

Among those questions are how much IAC spent on Google ads directing users to download its extensions, how many extension installations did that generate, and what percentage of Google's search traffic comes from users whose default search engine has been chosen for them by a web browser, operating system or extension that Google has paid for.

An IAC spokesperson said the company had no comment on the letter, but did comment on the larger issue of the internal audit and what it said was Google's effort to "quash" their browser business.

"Google has chosen not to share its audit of our products or the results with us, only the Wall Street Journal," saids the spokesperson. "Google exercises significant control over what we do with these products. Last year we collaborated closely with Google on an extensive review and approval of our entire Chrome product line — including how products are advertised and installed, down to the font size—and all our products were again confirmed and approved this year in conjunction with their renewal of our partnership agreement.

"Google has taken hundreds of millions of dollars from us to advertise and distribute these products in the Chrome Store. There’s nothing new here — Google has used their position to reduce our browser business to the last small corner of the internet, which they’re now seeking to quash."

Feds OK With IAC/Angie's List Deal

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 17:00:00 +0000

The feds don't have any antitrust issues with Barry Diller-controlled IAC's purchase of home services recommendation/review Web site Angie's List.

That came in an early termination notification from the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC and Justice divide up antitrust reviews, and the notification means neither found any reason to block or condition the deal.

IAC announced May 1 it had a deal to combine Angie's List with IAC's HomeAdvisor into a new company, ANGI Homeservices, in a deal valued at north of $500 million according to reports at the time.

The deal has been approved by both boards and was targeted for a fourth-quarter 2017 close. The clean bill of antitrust health should help.

FCC IAC Opposes Effective Competition Reversal

john.eggerton@futurenet.com (John Eggerton) — Fri, 15 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

An FCC advisory committee comprising state and local governments has advised the FCC not to reverse its presumption that cable systems are not subject effective competition.

The decision could speed up the process for cable ops to get out from under rate regulations imposed by local and state franchising authorities.

The Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC), formerly the Local and State Government Advisory Committee, said emphatically that cable operators are not subject to effective competition.

the FCC based its tentative finding on the fact that it had not denied any effective competition petitions since the beginning of 2013. But IAC said that relying on that was not appropriate. It pointed out that most of those went unchallenged by local franchise authorities, which could have been for any number or reasons other than whether or not there was effective competition.

It asked how many of those granted petitions may have been granted in error, or simply because they satisfied the FCC requirements, which IAC argues is not necessarily the equivalent of effective competition (though arguably that is what the FCC has to go on).

IAC said that if the FCC does proceed with the reversal, that it make explicit that PEG channel and consumer protections are retained, and can be mandated by franchising authorities even with a finding of effective competition.

IAC also asked for clarity on how the FCC would deal with local petitions in states where franchising is on the state level.

The FCC is under an early June deadline to produce an order streamlining the effective competition petition process for small, particularly rural, cable operators. It has proposed doing so by reversing the presumption for all carriers, but a presumption that can be rebutted by franchise authorities.

IAC is chaired by Wilton Manors, Fla., Democratic mayor Gary Resnick. Democratic New York mayor Bill de Blasio is vice chair and Democratic Virginia governor Terry McCauliffe is the lone state executive representative.