Commission designates Booking as a gatekeeper and opens a market investigation into X
The European Commission has today designated under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Booking as a gatekeeper for its online intermediation service Booking.com and decided not to designate X Ads and TikTok Ads. In parallel, the Commission has opened a market investigation to further assess the rebuttal submitted in relation to the online social networking service X.
Today’s decisions follow a review process conducted by the Commission after receiving the notifications of the three companies regarding their potential status as gatekeepers on 1 March 2024.
On the basis of Booking’s self-assessment submitted on 1 March 2024 that it meets the relevant thresholds, the Commission has established that this core platform service constitutes an important gateway between businesses and consumers.
In parallel, the Commission has opened a market investigation to further assess the rebuttal submitted on 1 March 2024 in relation to the online social networking service X. This rebuttal argues that, despite meeting the thresholds, X does not qualify as a important gateway between businesses and consumers. The investigation should be completed within five months.
Another rebuttal was submitted concerning the online advertising service X Ads. The Commission has concluded that, although X Ads meets the quantitative designation thresholds under the DMA, this core platform service does not qualify as an important gateway. Therefore, the Commission decided not to designate X Ads.
Lastly, the Commission received on 1 March 2024 the notification of ByteDance’s online advertising service TikTok Ads, including a rebuttal request. The Commission has concluded that, although TikTok Ads meets the quantitative designation thresholds under the DMA, this core platform service does not qualify as an important gateway. Consequently, the Commission decided not to designate TikTok Ads either.
