New Delhi: In a significant development for India’s digital advertising landscape, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered a detailed, consolidated investigation into Google’s conduct within the online display advertising market. The decision follows a complaint by the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), which alleges anti-competitive practices across Google’s advertising technology stack.
ADIF — representing startups, digital companies, and independent stakeholders — has accused Google of self-preferencing its own services, bundling and tying key products, and restricting access to critical inventory like YouTube ads through exclusive use of its demand-side platform, DV360.
Responding to these concerns, the CCI has directed its investigative arm, the Director General (DG), to conduct a unified inquiry. The probe will integrate allegations from the current complaint with four pre-existing cases under scrutiny, all of which relate to Google’s dominance and business conduct in the AdTech ecosystem.
“The DG is directed to investigate the various alleged practices of Google in online display advertising services and/or AdTech intermediation services and submit a consolidated investigation report,” the order noted.
Google, for its part, has denied wrongdoing. A company spokesperson said, “We are reviewing the CCI’s orders. We welcome the CCI’s decision to dismiss one part of the complaint. We remain confident that our ongoing work with the CCI will affirm that Google’s advertising practices have consistently benefited advertisers, publishers, and users, and are fully compliant with competition law.”
In its response to the ADIF filing, Google cited robust competition in India’s AdTech market from players such as Amazon Ads, Xandr, and The Trade Desk, claiming its tools are interoperable and not coercively bundled.
However, the CCI has maintained that these claims merit further investigation and has invoked Section 4 of the Competition Act, which pertains to abuse of dominant position. The regulator noted that ADIF’s participation may bring “additional insights” to the inquiry, especially given its representation of the startup and digital ecosystem.
Meanwhile, in a separate ruling, the CCI dismissed another ADIF complaint concerning Google Ads policies. The watchdog concluded that the issues raised — such as ad restrictions, ranking transparency, and bidding on trademarked keywords — had been “substantially examined” and resolved in prior decisions.
ADIF had cited four points of contention in that complaint, including bans on third-party support ads, desktop call ad restrictions, and limitations affecting keyword bidding. However, the CCI stated that no new evidence warranted reopening these matters, closing the case under Section 26(2A) of the Act.
This dual-action by the regulator underscores its nuanced approach to Big Tech scrutiny — signaling a willingness to investigate new, substantive claims while avoiding redundancy in regulatory proceedings.
The probe’s outcome could have significant implications for India’s digital advertising ecosystem, particularly for publishers and startups vying for a level playing field.
