Justice Department Clears Google’s $400 Million Admeld Buy

The U.S. Department of Justice has given its go-ahead for Google to acquire AdMeld, a sell-side monetization and yield optimization platform, for $400 million. The approval follows a five-month review during which the DOJ made a “second request” for information – not uncommon for large acquisitions. Google plans to officially complete the transaction in the next few days.

In a blog post today, Google wrote, “For now, it’s business as usual – Admeld’s products will operate separately to Google’s existing solutions… But over time, there are opportunities to bring the best of both businesses together in a variety of ways; and to develop entirely new solutions, too.”

The key synergy will involve the DoubleClick Ad Exchange. Many supply side platforms, including New York-based AdMeld, have begun acting like exchanges – pooling display inventory in marketplaces and supporting the sale of that ad space to the highest bidder, often with the help of third-party data. By integrating Admeld’s platform with DoubleClick’s DART for Publishers product, Google stands to introduce more volume into that exchange.