FTC accepts consent order for Omnicom takeover of Interpublic Group

The Federal Trade Commission said it took action to resolve antitrust concerns related to Omnicom’s (OMC) acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG). The FTC accepted a proposed consent order that will prevent potential anticompetitive coordination by Omnicom. The proposed order 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 in a statement. The proposed consent order resolves an FTC complaint alleging that Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG “threatens to further consolidate the U.S. media buying services market.”