India's CCI closes antitrust case against BookMyShow
The closed proceeding removes this complaint as a basis for antitrust remedial action against BookMyShow. The cited exclusive or long-term agreements with cinemas are not treated as abusive conduct in this proceeding.
Change
Competition Commission of India (CCI) closed its investigation into BookMyShow, finding that although the platform holds a dominant position in the online movie ticket booking market it did not abuse that position in exclusive cinema agreements lasting two to five years.
Why it matters
Complainants alleging that long-term exclusive booking deals are anticompetitive now face a higher evidentiary threshold at the competition regulator; they must show market foreclosure or the imposition of unfair conditions to succeed. Commercial parties entering exclusivity will need to evidence efficiency or business-stability justifications to avoid dismissal at the regulator.
Implications
- — Rival online ticketing platforms' legal teams must gather and preserve transaction-level and contractual evidence demonstrating foreclosure or unfair pricing before filing antitrust complaints — failure to present such evidence will likely lead to case closure by the regulator.
- — Cinema chains' commercial and legal teams must document clear efficiency rationales and measurable business-stability benefits for any exclusive or multi-year booking agreements — lacking that documentation will weaken their defence in future probes.
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