Market Power And Digital Convergence: A Legal–Economic Assessment Of The CCI’s Reliance–Disney Order
- IJLLR Journal
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
Anushka Pachauri, UPES, Dehradun
ABSTRACT
One of the most significant developments in India's media and digital businesses is the merger of Walt Disney's Star India and Reliance Industries' Viacom18, which was assessed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in Combination No. C-2024/05/1155. The largest broadcaster in India, two significant over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and the largest portfolio of premium cricket broadcasting rights are all included in the deal, which forces the CCI to address difficult issues brought on by digital convergence. The legal and economic logic used by the CCI is examined in this article, with particular attention paid to how it handles relevant market definition, horizontal and vertical overlaps, and conglomerate effects resulting from the Reliance–Jio ecosystem. It contends that the CCI's embrace of multisided platform dynamics, its examination of cross-market leverage, and its acknowledgement of sports broadcasting rights as "must-have" inputs represent a substantial shift in Indian merger control. Despite recognizing significant foreclosure risks, the Commission's extensive reliance on behavioral promises exposes weaknesses in the regulatory framework for digital ecosystems with significant network effects. In order to protect competition in India's quickly changing media, telecom, and over-the-top (OTT) landscape, this article argues that even while the CCI has made significant progress towards a convergence-aware competition framework, strict enforcement and more precise rules for conglomerate market power are still required.
