MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google’s long-anticipated acquisition of online ad service DoubleClick is expected to turn the Internet search leader into an even more powerful marketing vehicle that’s fueled by better insights about consumers.
The $3.1 billion deal, completed Tuesday after nearly a year of regulatory wrangling, also may intensify the pressure on Microsoft and Yahoo to resolve their stormy courtship so they don’t risk further distractions while Google tries to sprint further ahead in the race for Internet advertising.
Google took control of Double Click a few hours after Europe’s antitrust regulators removed the final stumbling block.
U.S. regulators cleared the transaction in December, casting aside objections from Microsoft and other companies that argued DoubleClick would give Google too much control over online advertising and potentially sensitive information about consumer behavior on the Internet.
Besides opening up new opportunities, Google’s takeover of DoubleClick will create more challenges for a management team already grappling with concerns about how the slowing U.S. economy will affect the company’s earnings growth this year.
