In this MadTech Podcast episode, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by head of content John Still, and Rich Ashton, managing partner at FirstPartyCapital. 

They look at the US Federal Trade Commission launching an investigation into whether Amazon and Google misled advertisers, and a new partnership which will bring Netflix’s premium ad inventory to Amazon’s DSP, Amazon Ads. They also discuss the latest M&A activity in the ad tech scene, including Bending Spoons’ acquisition of Vimeo, and Vitruvian Partners buying a majority sake in healthcare DSP DeepIntent. 

This week's stories:

US FTC probes Google, Amazon over search advertising practices (Reuters)

The US Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into whether Amazon and Google misled advertisers by failing to properly disclose terms and pricing for ads. 

Its investigation into Amazon focuses on its advertising auctions, and whether it disclosed “reserve pricing” for some search ads. Its investigation into Google focuses on its internal pricing process and whether it increased the cost of ads in ways which were not disclosed to advertisers. 

Amazon Ads and Netflix Partner to Offer Programmatic Buying on Netflix’s Ads Plan (Netflix) 

Amazon Ads and Netflix have announced a partnership which provides advertisers using Amazon DSP with direct access to Netflix's premium ad inventory. The offering will be available in 11 countries including the UK, starting from Q4 this year. 

Italy's Bending Spoons to take Vimeo private in $1.38bn deal (Reuters) & Health Care DSP DeepIntent Sells $637m Majority Stake to Vitruvian Partners (AdExchanger) 

Video platform Vimeo is being acquired by Italian app developer Bending Spoons for about USD$1.4bn (£1bn). Meanwhile, UK-based private equity firm Vitruvian Partners made a USD$637m (£467m) investment in DeepIntent.