WTF has Google Been Doing This Week? 21 SEP 2026
Google’s ad-tech walls are getting a couple more doors
This week, a US court made the next chapter of Google’s ad-tech story a little clearer.
We mentioned the other week Google isn’t being broken up. Instead, the court has ordered changes designed to make its publisher ad-tech stack work more openly with competing technologies.
Google will need to support integrations with Prebid and rival publisher ad servers, give publishers greater access to and control over their own data, and stop Google Ads from preferentially bidding into Google-owned ad-tech products because of that ownership.
The changes will be overseen for six years.
There’s no button to switch on, no new setting in DV360 and no advertiser deadline to worry about. The changes are primarily aimed at the publisher and ad-tech side of the ecosystem. But this is where it gets interesting for us and direct clients, the buyers.
If more publisher technologies can compete for the same inventory, and Google’s demand is less able to favour Google-owned infrastructure, we could eventually see changes in auction dynamics, supply-path costs and how inventory flows through the open web.
The remedies will take time to implement, and the final judgment still needs to be completed. So we’re watching what actually changes in the market rather than assuming the ruling automatically makes programmatic buying better.
And yes, it matters in Australia
While this case was brought in the US, the detailed remedies are expected to have global application, which makes this more relevant to Australian publishers and buyers than a purely domestic US regulatory change.
And the issues aren’t new to Australia. The ACCC has previously highlighted concerns around competition, transparency, self-preferencing, data portability and interoperability in Australia’s ad-tech market. Its more recent digital platforms work has also specifically noted that international enforcement action against Google could have flow-on effects for Australian advertisers and publishers. We’re not expecting Australian advertisers to suddenly change how they buy media.
We’re watching to see whether the changes eventually flow through to Australian inventory, supply paths and auction dynamics.
Why we’re paying attention
For years, the conversation around programmatic efficiency has increasingly moved from “what’s the CPM?” to “What’s actually happening between the advertiser and the impression?” How many players are passing through the inventory? This is another reminder that the supply chain matters.
More choice and transparency for publishers could ultimately have implications for buyers too, particularly around the number of intermediaries in the path, access to quality inventory and whether we’re paying for genuine value or simply paying for the journey. Not to sound repetitive, but supply chain matters folks.
And that’s where we think the useful work starts.
Here’s what we’re checking in our clients’ accounts
- Are we seeing unnecessary layers or costs in the supply path?
- Where are we buying the same inventory through multiple routes?
- Are we getting enough transparency from our supply partners?
- Are there opportunities to access quality inventory more directly?
- Are changes in auction dynamics actually translating into better value?
- And, as always, are we buying the audience and outcome or just the cheapest impression?
Short story: no immediate action required. We’ll just be keeping a close eye out on behalf of our clients.
