In a move that could reshape the contours of digital competition in one of its most pivotal markets, Google settles antitrust case with CCI, resolving allegations that the tech titan misused its dominance in the Android TV space in India. The country’s top competition watchdog announced Monday that it has formally approved Google’s settlement proposal, bringing a high-stakes legal battle to a close.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had previously charged Alphabet’s Google with exploiting its position in the smart TV operating system ecosystem—a sector that has grown rapidly as more Indian households shift from cable to connected streaming platforms.
CCI: Google Abused Android’s Market Muscle
At the heart of the case was CCI’s accusation that Google used its popular Android operating system to stifle competition in the smart television market. By tying up manufacturers with restrictive licensing agreements and limiting access to its Play Store ecosystem, regulators said, Google effectively boxed out rivals and locked in its own software as the default gatekeeper.
For Google, India isn’t just another dot on the global map—it’s a digital frontier. With hundreds of millions of users, it’s a battleground for dominance across mobile, search, payments, and now, smart home technology. The Android TV case was one of several in which Indian regulators have taken an assertive stance against the tech behemoth.
