Media agency execs flag concerns after major trading platform BCC AdSystems sells to rival

Senior Australian media agency executives have expressed concerns after a major trading platform which handles more than $8bn in bookings each year was bought out by a rival.

Last week the BCC Adsystems transactional platform was bought by its rival Mediaocean, leading numerous senior agency executives at some of Australia’s biggest holding companies to raise questions over the future of the system, and its viability for them.

“The concern is more around the tech,” said one media agency boss, who declined to be named. “People generally agree that BCC can be difficult and challenging to work with but its systems are built into most Australian agencies; this is what we transact on. It is really unclear what impact this will have.” The ability to integrate with BCC is seen as pivotal to how agencies operate. “Lots of people have spent a lot of money building systems to integrate with BCC,” said an agency trading director. “This has the potential to create big problems.”

However another executive argued that BCC has a reputation for not being collaborative: “A lot of us aren’t that familiar with Mediaocean but frankly I’d be very open to anyone who can collaborate more than the current regime.”