Digital advertising market should face CMA probe - Lords committee

An influential UK parliamentary committee has called for an antitrust investigation of the digital advertising market and for the government to review whether competition law "is appropriate for the 21st century digital economy".

Fresh off the back of Mark Zuckerberg's testimony to Congress, the Lords Communications Committee has called for an antitrust investigation of the digital advertising market and for the government to review whether competition law "is appropriate for the 21st century digital economy".

The committee on Wednesday published a report 'UK advertising in a digital age', recommending the online ad industry "should take greater steps to self-regulate through independent bodies".

The committee called for the Competition and Markets Authority should undertake a market study of the digital advertising market "to ensure that it is working fairly for businesses and consumers" and the government to review whether competition law is appropriate for the 21st century digital economy.

The UK is a global hub for advertising which added £120bn to the UK's economy and supported over 1m jobs in 2016.

"Individuals from all communities and backgrounds, regardless of ethnicity, gender, class and ability, should have access to employment in the advertising industry, the report said.

"The industry should discontinue informal working and recruitment practices, such as unpaid internships, which present a barrier to groups from lower socioeconomic groups."

The government should introduce a creative industries' freelancer visa and also seek to negotiate reciprocal agreements with other countries under which international workers with a job offer in the advertising industry will have the right to work in the UK.