June 12 (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission,

reviewing ad giants Omnicom ( OMC ) and Interpublic's proposed merger,

may impose a condition that will prevent the combined company

from boycotting ads on platforms because of political content,

the New York Times reported on Thursday.

Omnicom ( OMC ) struck a $13.25 billion all-stock deal in

December last year to buy rival Interpublic Group, thus

creating the world's largest advertising agency.

The restrictions the FTC is discussing are part of the Trump

administration's effort to address perceived political bias in

corporate America against conservative voices and causes, the

report said, citing two people briefed on the matter.

The U.S. regulator and the ad companies did not immediately

respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The terms of the merger review between the FTC and the two

ad companies were not finalized, the report added.

The combined company would have revenue of more than $25

billion, based on 2023 figures. It would compete with some of

the world's largest advertising groups, including WPP ( WPP )

and Publicis.

Omnicom ( OMC ) expects to close the acquisition in the second half

of the year.

The FTC sought information from some of the world's top ad

firms as part of a probe into whether advertising and advocacy

groups violated antitrust laws by coordinating boycotts of

certain sites, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier in June.

In 2024, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said group boycotts by

advertisers can be illegal because they involve coordinated

refusals to do business, which may restrict competition.

Ad spending on X had slumped for months after billionaire

Elon Musk bought the platform in October 2022, as some

advertisers were wary of buying ads on the platform amid

concerns that their brands would appear next to harmful content

or false claims.