4% fee temporary, order interim: Google on Madras HC’s directive on Disney+ Hotstar
Top OTT players have also reportedly banded together to move CCI against Google's billing policies
In what comes as a relief for Disney+ Hotstar, the Madras High Court directed Google to levy only a 4% commission for all payments made on the streaming platform. The HC also asked Google to not delist the streaming app from Google Play Store as long as the matter is sub judice.
A Google spokesperson reacted to the directive: “The order is interim in nature, and the temporary 4% figure is simply a fee that the developer will pay to Google each month while these legal proceedings play out.”
A bench comprising Justice AT Usha also asked Disney+ Hotstar to provide monthly accounting information to aid in the timely collection of the interim fee to Google.
Disney+ Hotstar was among the companies that approached the HC in the Google Play Store billing case. The companies requested a stay on the tech giant’s directives that requires apps to use Google Play Billing System for all payments. Google will in turn collect commissions ranging from 11% to 26% for all payments done on the platform.
Unacademy, Kuku FM, TrulyMadly and QuackQuack, Pratilipi, Crafto, Ananda Vikatan and Aha apart from Bharat Matrimony and Shaadi.com were the other platforms that joined Disney+ Hotstar in approaching the HC against the tech giant’s directives.
Google came up with the new rules after it was asked against levying 15-30% commissions by an anti-trust order and was directed to allow third-party payments.
Meanwhile, as per a news report top streaming giants have banded together and moved the Competition Commission of India against Google's billing policy.
As per reports, the apps seeking intervention include Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, Voot, SonyLIV, Manorama Max, SunNXT and Discovery+. The Indian Digital Media Industry Foundation is representing these platforms.
