Google in Trouble over Abuse in Smart TVs market, Faces Antitrust Case in India

Alphabet Inc's Google has been facing criticism in the headlines recently. Now the tech giant has had another run in with antitrust watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI), its fourth since 2018. In the latest, Google has been accused of having abused its android operating system’s position in the smart television segment. A Reuters report citing sources said that a case has been filed by two Indian antitrust lawyers, Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand. The regulator has informed Google about the case, who will respond in due course.

For Google, India is one of its key markets where it is currently facing public criticism from local startups for enforcing certain policies and company charges they contend hurt their growth. It also comes as Google faces new antitrust challenges in the United States, and a potential antitrust probe in China that is set to look into how it allegedly uses its dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition. Google has denied any wrongdoing.

CCI has been looking into allegations since June over Google’s alleged practice of creating barriers for firms wanting to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs, such as Amazon Fire TV’s operating system. The source said the CCI had directed Google to submit its written responses to the allegations and that the company has sought more time.

Smart TVs, or WiFi-enabled TVs with apps for streaming

CCI has been looking into allegations since June over Google’s alleged practice of creating barriers for firms wanting to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs, such as Amazon Fire TV’s operating system

services like Netflix and YouTube, have become increasingly popular in India. Data from Counterpoint Research shows eight million smart TV sets were sold in India in 2019. Three in five smart TVs sold in India are based on Google's Android system, which also powers nearly 99 percent of India's half a billion smartphone user base.

The latest case alleges that Google's agreements with companies such as Xiaomi and TV manufacturer TCL India effectively stop them from using both the Android system and a modified version of it on different devices they make, according to the source. For instance, if a company sells smartphones based on Google's Android, it cannot sell smart TVs running on competing platforms like the Amazon Fire TV system, according to the case against the Mountain View, California-based company, the source said. And in reverse, if a company's smart TV is using Amazon's Fire operating system, then that company is restricted from offering Google's popular Play Store or the Google maps app on its smartphones.

In 2018, the CCI fined Google $18.5 Mn for “search bias”, but a company appeal against that is pending. The CCI in 2019 started probing Google for allegedly misusing its dominant position to reduce the ability of smartphone makers to opt for alternate versions of its Android system. Earlier this year, the CCI started reviewing a case alleging that Google abuses its market position to unfairly promote its mobile payments app in the country.