Google has notified some customers of its DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) suite that they will no longer have access to DFP phone support or dedicated account reps. The tweak appears to be the result of a decision to raise the ad serving threshold at which publishers qualify to get managed services.

A Google rep said the change affects only a small subset of publishers. The company said in a statement, "We notified a small number of partners changes to the service model for DFP and are working with them on alternatives. This change affects less than 1% of our total customers."

While the numbers may be small, the move points to Google's increasing focus on the world's largest publishers. For the rest, it offers the lower service threshold or DFP Small Business, a free suite for publishers with less than 90 million monthly impressions.

In an email to affected DFP customers, Google said, "Support will be available to You on a 24/7 basis via the articles and other materials made available through our online [help center] using Your DFP username and password. You will continue to have access to email support. Live support via telephone will no longer be available to You. Dedicated account management will no longer be available to You."

Among the companies to have received the notification is a small ad network supporting 40 to 50 million impressions and a larger news affiliate with multiple websites and traffic in the range of 200 million to 300 million, according to a source.