Penske Media Corp., the publisher of entertainment and culture brands including Rolling Stone, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, sued Google on Monday, accusing the tech giant of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising market and depriving publishers of billions of dollars in revenue.
Filed in federal court in Manhattan and obtained by TheWrap, the lawsuit alleges Google used its dominance to rig digital ad auctions, suppress prices paid to publishers and shut out competitors. Penske Media and its subsidiary SheMedia seek monetary damages and court-ordered changes to Google’s ad-tech business in a jury trial.
Penske Media says Google creates a conflict of interest by controlling both the dominant publisher ad server and the leading ad exchange used to buy and sell online display advertising. According to the complaint, Google gave its own exchange unfair advantages by allowing it to see rivals’ bids before submitting its own, enabling Google to win auctions while keeping prices artificially low.
The suit builds on a 2025 federal court ruling in Virginia that found Google had unlawfully monopolized key parts of the ad-tech market and engaged in anticompetitive conduct. That case, brought by the U.S. Justice Department and state attorneys general, is still in a remedies phase.
Penske Media argues that Google’s conduct has had sweeping effects across the media industry, reducing revenue that supports journalism, entertainment coverage and content. SheMedia, which operates an advertising network for about 1,800 websites, said its publishers are particularly vulnerable because they rely heavily on digital ads to survive.
Google has denied similar allegations in other cases, arguing that its ad tools increase efficiency and competition for advertisers and publishers.
Penske also sued Google in a separate lawsuit in September over its AI summaries of news stories, alleging that the tech giant is using its journalism without consent and, as a result, reducing web traffic to the sites it owns.
The lawsuit accuses Google of violating federal antitrust law, engaging in illegal tying arrangements, and committing deceptive practices under New York law.
