Google settles Android TV antitrust case in India

If you’ve ever bought a Smart TV in India, there’s a good chance it came with Google-owned apps like YouTube and the Play Store pre-installed, whether you wanted them or not. Turns out, that’s exactly what landed Google in hot water with India’s competition regulator.

This case dates back to 2020, when the Competition Commission of India (CCI) began investigating claims that Google was forcing TV makers to pre-install its apps and blocking them from using modified (or “forked”) versions of Android—a move the regulator said hurt innovation and limited choice.

Now, after five years, Google has agreed to pay ₹20.24 crore (~$2.38 million) to settle the case. And while the tech giant has seen its fair share of antitrust probes in the country, what makes this one historic is that it’s the first case settled under India’s amended 2023 Competition Act, which now allows companies to negotiate outcomes instead of fighting lengthy legal battles.

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Under the settlement, Google will launch a “New India Agreement” — a five-year licensing deal that lets TV makers get the Play Store and Google Play Services without being forced to pre-install YouTube or other apps. Manufacturers can now also build Android-based smart TVs that don’t rely on Google at all.

But the case wasn’t without drama. While a majority of CCI members approved the settlement, one member, Anil Agrawal, dissented. He argued that the new agreement doesn’t go far enough because Google's older contract with manufacturers still exists. In his view, keeping both deals in place means manufacturers could still feel pressure to stick with Google’s full app bundle.

For consumers, though, this settlement could open the door to more diverse smart TV software options—including those not loaded with Google’s full suite of apps by default. It also brings more competition into India’s fast-growing $6 billion smart TV market, where new players like JioTele OS are already looking to shake things up.

But whether this move actually reshapes the Android TV space in India is still up in the air. But one thing’s clear: Indian regulators aren’t taking their eyes off Google anytime soon.

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