Google faces antitrust probe in India over alleged abuse of position in smart TV market

India’s antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has ordered an investigation into the allegations that Google abused its operating system’s position in the smart TV market.

The CCI in its order said that the initial review found Google in violation of certain antitrust laws.

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“[…] The Commission, based on the information available on the record (including the submissions made by Google), is prima facie convinced that a case is made out for directing an investigation by the DG (Director General),” the antitrust body said in a statement.

The move comes after two lawyers in India filed a case against the US-based search giant last year.

According to the complainants, Google – in agreements its made with TV companies – bars these firms from developing their own operating systems (OS) based on “forked android” code. The complainants allege that the rules set by Google restrict freedom of action for manufacturers of all smart mobile devices and TVs and not just devices on which Google’s Play Store or Android TV operating system (OS) is pre-installed.

Google, however, has denied the charges.

“The emerging smart TV sector in India is thriving due in part to Google’s free licensing model, and Android TV competes with numerous well-established TV OSs such as FireOS, Tizen, and WebOS. We are confident that our smart TV licensing practices are in compliance with all applicable competition laws,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

India’s smart TV market has grown exponentially in recent years. About 8 million smart TVs were sold in the country in 2019, out of which three in five smart TVs in the country run on the Android operating system, according to a Reuters report.

The CCI order also noted that Google enjoyed the most significant position in the smart TV space.

Indian app and content discovery platform IndusOS in a statement said that the Android TV policies are the same as Googles policies surrounding its other products like Play Store, Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube.

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“In a blog dated September 28, 2020, Google emphasized choice, fairness and equal treatment, transparency, and communication as core tenets of their policy making. However, Google remains conspicuous on their policy leading to undue advantage to their products on mobile platforms,” IndusOS added.