According to the Competition Commission of India, or CCI, Google’s practice of pre-installing its operating system, Google Play Store, and associated apps under its television app distribution deal amounted to “misusing its dominant position” in India, one of the company’s largest international markets.
Neither the operating system nor the app store on Android TVs in India will be powered by Google by default anytime soon. This follows a major decision made by India’s competition watchdog.
The competition watchdog criticized Alphabet, the parent company of Google, for engaging in “anti-competitive practices” in the Indian smart TV market and charged it with trying to establish a “monopoly” in the space.
According to the Competition Commission of India, or CCI, Google’s practice of pre-installing its operating system, Google Play Store, and associated apps under its television app distribution deal amounted to “misusing its dominant position” in India, one of the company’s largest international markets.
Has Google left smart TVs?
Two Indian antitrust attorneys brought the case against Google and Alphabet, and the CCI then mandated an investigation. According to the research, the multinational tech behemoth implemented practices that can be viewed as impeding smaller companies’ efforts to create alternative operating systems or even customized ones for Android smart TVs.
Google consented to submit a settlement proposal in response to the competition watchdog’s decision, proposing a separate license for its Play Store and Play Services for Android smart TVs in India rather than combining the services into one package.
The new deal calls for a price to be charged for Google’s Play Store and Play Services, which were previously offered free of charge for pre-installation. Additionally, Google has been instructed to send a letter to all of its partners that sell Android TVs in India, informing them that they are no longer required to use Google’s Android OS and can now use any open-source operating system they like.
IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSUMERS
Since alternative operating systems and app stores will now be permitted to collaborate with smart TV manufacturers, consumers who prefer Google’s Android OS and Play Store will now need to inquire with shops and brands to find out which TVs have them installed and which do not.
Not every app is now accessible on every app store. The largest selection of TV apps is available on Google Play and Amazon App Store. Since they primarily serve the Apple, Google, and Amazon shops, many well-known app developers are also unavailable on other platforms that offer comparable services.
Because of their smooth graphical user interface and data security features, Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, and Amazon’s Fire OS are also favored. Therefore, before purchasing a television, consumers will now need to research the operating system and app store.
Currently, Google’s Android OS and Play Store services are preloaded on devices made by Hisense, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Motorola, Nokia, Toshiba, and TCL.
CHOICES FOR ANDROID TV PARTNERS AND TV MAKERS
In addition to selecting a different operating system, Android TV partners in India would not be required to have any Google apps installed on their TVs by default.
The Competition Commission of India stated that although the new deal is mainly for smart TVs, it might be expanded to include other devices as well. Additionally, a $2.38 million penalty was levied, which Google will have to pay as part of the case’s settlement.
