India's antitrust authority, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has launched an unprecedented crackdown on major global advertising agencies and broadcasters, targeting alleged price-fixing practices in the country's booming advertising sector.
On Tuesday morning, CCI officials raided approximately 10 locations across New Delhi, Mumbai, and Gurugram, focusing on industry giants such as GroupM, Interpublic, Publicis, and Dentsu, alongside the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF). The raids, which extended into Wednesday, mark the CCI's most stringent action against media agencies to date, coinciding with the lead-up to the Indian Premier League (IPL), a critical advertising season.
Sources indicate that the investigation, initiated last year, probes claims of collusion between media agencies and broadcasters to manipulate advertising rates and discounts.
At GroupM's Indian offices, owned by Britain’s WPP, top officials were detained overnight as authorities cloned mobile phone data. Similar operations at Interpublic’s IPG Mediabrands, Dentsu, and Publicis stretched past midnight, with CCI inspectors at IBDF’s New Delhi office scrutinizing emails tied to ad dealings involving major players like Reliance-Disney and Sony. The timing raises stakes, as India’s ad market—valued at $18.5 billion in 2024 and projected to grow 9.4% in 2025—faces upheaval following the $8.5 billion Disney-Reliance merger, which commands 40% of the TV and streaming ad space.
The CCI’s silence on specifics aligns with its policy of confidentiality in price collusion cases, but the potential consequences are severe. If guilty, the agencies could face fines up to three times their annual profits or 10% of yearly turnover per violation year.
As the investigation unfolds, likely over months, it underscores India’s growing regulatory scrutiny of its eighth-largest global ad market, spotlighting fair competition amid rapid industry consolidation and digital dominance. None of the involved parties—GroupM, Interpublic, Publicis, Dentsu, or IBDF—have commented publicly.