India: Competition Commission issued order approving Google's settlement over alleged anti-competitive conduct in smart television market

On 21 April 2025, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) adopted an order approving Google’s settlement proposal on the alleged abuse of dominance concerning Android televisions (TV). The order relates to the licensable smart TV operating system market and application store services for Android TV operating systems in India, particularly impacting Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) dealing with Google. The investigation found that Google imposed unfair terms through the television application distribution agreement and android compatibility commitments. It required OEMs to pre-install Google services, in violation of Section 4 of the Competition Act which prohibits the abuse of a dominant position by any enterprise. Under the approved New India Agreement, Google will offer a standalone licence for the Play Store and Play Services without bundling or default placement requirements, and waive Android compatibility commitment obligations for devices shipped into India without Google applications, allowing OEMs to sell and develop non-compatible Android devices. The CCI finalised the settlement, imposing a penalty of INR 20.24 crore.