CCI Launches Probe Into Google’s Ad Tech Transparency Practices in India
CCI investigates Google’s dominance in India’s programmatic ad tech, following ADIF complaint over lack of transparency, conflicts of interest, and prioritisation of its own inventory.
Sumit Rawat
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has initiated a fresh investigation into Google, this time targeting its programmatic advertising ecosystem. The move follows a complaint by the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), representing independent advertisers and tech entrepreneurs, which alleges that a lack of transparency in Google’s ad tech stack is costing publishers and advertisers both revenue and choice.
India’s digital advertising market was valued between ₹49,000 crore and ₹53,000 crore in 2024, with Google and Meta holding the lion’s share. Google’s influence extends far beyond search, dominating ad serving, auctions, buying tools, and measurement through products like Google Ad Manager, AdX, Display & Video 360, and Campaign Manager.
The ADIF’s complaint centres on the risks of one company operating across the entire value chain — ad server, exchange, and demand-side platform — which, it argues, allows Google to prioritise its own inventory and maintain full visibility into bids and pricing.
Industry experts say advertisers often lack clarity on cost breakdowns, fees, and margins. “There is a lack of price transparency, making it difficult for advertisers to understand the cost at each step or how much spend actually reaches the publisher,” said Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and Global CEO of Grapes Worldwide.
While Google maintains that its technology delivers better results at lower costs, some believe the company’s full-stack control limits competition and innovation. “If the CCI enforces remedies such as unbundling ad servers, DSPs and exchanges, the ecosystem could see more variety, clearer reporting, and potentially better pricing,” said Vibhor Mehrotra, Managing Partner at Innocean.
Bala Kumaran, Founder & Director of BrandStory, called the probe “long overdue” and an opportunity to create a more accountable and inclusive ad tech landscape.
The CCI could follow aggressive precedents set in Europe and the UK, forcing structural changes in how programmatic advertising operates in India. If implemented, such measures would mark a significant shift in the country’s digital economy, reshaping who controls the infrastructure that connects advertisers to audiences.
