监管机构长期以来一直威胁要分拆
Facebook（现称为 Meta），因为它拥有巨大的市场力量。现在，一组官员跟进并命令该公司取消对 Giphy 的收购，因为这笔交易可能会伤害竞争对手。
英国竞争与市场管理局周二表示，Meta 对流行的 GIF 动图搜索引擎（短、循环视频和动画）的控制将减少社交媒体平台之间的竞争，并且已经在广告市场上淘汰了一个潜在的竞争对手。
Facebook (FB) 在 2020 年以 3.15 亿美元的价格收购了 Giphy。它打算将该服务与 Instagram 集成，让人们更容易找到与其故事和直接消息相关的 GIF。
尽管远非 Meta 有史以来最大的收购，但 Giphy 的收购是该公司第一次被政府官员试图扭转的高调交易。
在世界各国政府进行激烈的反垄断审查之际，这一发现对 Meta 的愿望是一个打击，对于在这种监管环境下寻求收购的其他大型科技公司来说，这是一个潜在的危险信号。
在最初宣布的交易中，Facebook 曾发誓要授予第三方与以前相同级别的 Giphy 内容访问权限。然而，在收购宣布后不到一个月，CMA 表示正在调查此事。
“在咨询了感兴趣的企业和组织——并评估了 Facebook 提出的替代解决方案后——CMA 得出的结论是，它的竞争问题只能通过 Facebook 将 Giphy 整体出售给批准的买家来解决，”CMA 说一份声明。
这家科技公司周二表示，它不同意 CMA，并正在考虑“所有选项，包括上诉”。
“在我们的基础设施、人才和资源的支持下，消费者和 Giphy 都会变得更好，”Meta 发言人说。 “Meta 和 Giphy 将共同为英国和世界各地每天使用 Giphy 的数百万人、企业、开发人员和 API 合作伙伴改进 Giphy 的产品，为每个人提供更多选择。”
监管机构在 8 月发布的初步报告中表示，Facebook 对 Giphy 的控制可能使其能够切断其他社交媒体网站对 GIF 的访问。 Giphy 的服务目前与 Twitter (TWTR)、Snapchat、Apple (AAPL) 的 iMessage 和 Slack (WORK) 等平台集成。
CMA 在详细说明其调查结果的原因时表示，收购 Giphy 将提升 Meta 的重要市场影响力。除了为其 Facebook、WhatsApp 和 Instagram 平台带来更多流量外，该公司还可以要求 TikTok、Twitter 和 Snapchat (SNAP) 等竞争对手提供更多用户数据以访问 GIF。
CMA 还发现，在合并之前，Giphy 已经推出了创新的广告服务，它正在考虑将其扩展到包括英国在内的国家。 Giphy 允许诸如 Dunkin' Donuts 和百事可乐 (PEP) 之类的公司通过视觉图像和 GIF 来推广他们的品牌，并且它可以与 Facebook 自己的展示广告服务竞争。
CMA 表示，Facebook 在合并时终止了 Giphy 的广告服务，从而消除了潜在竞争的一个重要来源。
“鉴于 Facebook 控制着英国 70 亿英镑 [90 亿美元] 展示广告市场的近一半，CMA 认为这一点尤其令人担忧，”它补充说。
与英国当局的争端已经让 Meta 付出了代价。去年 10 月，CMA 对该公司处以 7000 万美元的罚款，原因是该公司一再无视警告并故意违反规定。
CMA 表示，Facebook 在 Giphy 调查期间“有意识地”拒绝报告所有必需的信息。
Meta ordered to sell Giphy by UK antitrust authorities
London (CNN Business)Regulators have long threatened to break up Facebook (now called Meta) because of its huge market power. Now one group of officials has followed through and ordered the company to unwind its acquisition of Giphy because the deal could hurt competitors.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority said on Tuesday that Meta's control of the popular search engine for GIFs — short, looping videos and animations — would reduce competition between social media platforms and had already removed one potential rival in the advertising market.
Facebook (FB) bought Giphy for $315 million in 2020. It was intending to integrate the service with Instagram, making it easier for people to find relevant GIFs for their stories and direct messages.
Although far from the largest acqusition Meta has ever done, the Giphy acquisition is the company's first high-profile deal government officials have tried to reverse.
The finding is a blow to Meta's aspirations amid intense antitrust scrutiny by governments around the world, and a potential red flag for other Big Tech companies pursuing acquisitions in this regulatory climate.
In its initial announcement of the deal, Facebook had vowed to grant third parties the same level of access to Giphy's content as before. Less than a month after the acquisition was announced, however, the CMA said it was looking into it.
"After consulting with interested businesses and organizations — and assessing alternative solutions ... put forward by Facebook — the CMA has concluded that its competition concerns can only be addressed by Facebook selling Giphy in its entirety to an approved buyer," the CMA said in a statement.
The tech company said Tuesday it disagreed with the CMA and was considering "all options, including appeal."
"Both consumers and Giphy are better off with the support of our infrastructure, talent, and resources," a Meta spokesperson said. "Together, Meta and Giphy would enhance Giphy's product for the millions of people, businesses, developers and API partners in the UK and around the world who use Giphy every day, providing more choices for everyone."
In its initial report published in August, the regulator said that Facebook's control over Giphy could allow it to cut off other social media sites' access to GIFs. Giphy's services currently integrate with platforms such as Twitter (TWTR), Snapchat, Apple's (AAPL) iMessage and Slack (WORK).
Detailing the reasons for its findings, the CMA said the acquisition of Giphy would boost Meta's significant market power. In addition to driving more traffic to its Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms, it would allow the company to require competitors such as TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat (SNAP) to provide more user data to access GIFs.
The CMA also found that, before the merger, Giphy had launched innovative advertising services which it was considering expanding to countries including the United Kingdom. Giphy allowed companies — such as Dunkin' Donuts and Pepsi (PEP) — to promote their brands through visual images and GIFs, and it could have competed with Facebook's own display advertising services.
Facebook terminated Giphy's advertising services at the time of the merger, removing an important source of potential competition, the CMA said.
"The CMA considers this particularly concerning given that Facebook controls nearly half of the ￡7 billion [$9 billion] display advertising market in the UK," it added.
The dispute with UK authorities has already been costly for Meta. The CMA fined the company $70 million in October for repeatedly ignoring warnings and deliberately breaking its rules.
The CMA said that Facebook had "consciously" refused to report all the required information during the Giphy investigation.
