Google offers to let ad rivals place YouTube ads in EU antitrust probe: Report

Google parent Alphabet has offered to let rival ad intermediaries place advertisements on YouTube to address a crucial part of an EU antitrust investigation, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission opened a probe last year to examine whether the world's largest provider of search and video was giving itself an unfair advantage in digital advertising by restricting rivals' and advertisers' access to user data.

The EU competition watchdog singled out Google's requirement that advertisers use its Ad Manager to display ads on YouTube and potential restrictions on the way in which rivals serve ads on YouTube. Google's proposal is part of its attempt to end the EU investigation and avert a fine that could reach 10% of its global turnover, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last year.