Archive · 27 Jan 2026
Supreme Court Allows CCI Probe into JioStar
The Supreme Court of India recently decided not to stop an investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into JioStar, a streaming platform owned by Reliance Industries.
The investigation is about whether JioStar is being unfair in how it prices its services in Kerala.
A company called Asianet Digital Network complained that JioStar is giving special discounts to one of its competitors, Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL), but not to others.
This makes it hard for other companies to compete fairly.
The Supreme Court said the investigation should go ahead because it's still in the early stages.
JioStar had argued that the CCI doesn't have the right to investigate this, but the court disagreed.
The CCI now has eight weeks to complete its investigation.
Supreme Court dismissed JioStar's plea to halt CCI's investigation into alleged abuse of dominance and discriminatory pricing in Kerala's TV market.
Asianet Digital Network complained that JioStar offers preferential discounts to KCCL, denying similar terms to other distributors.
CCI directed to complete the investigation within eight weeks as per Kerala High Court's order.
JioStar argued that pricing disputes fall under Trai's jurisdiction, but the CCI and courts maintained that the Competition Act applies.
JioStar was formed in November 2024 following a merger between Reliance's media business and Disney's India operations.
- Who
- JioStar, Asianet Digital Network, Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL), Competition Commission of India (CCI), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)
- What
- Supreme Court dismissed JioStar's plea to halt CCI's investigation into alleged abuse of dominance and discriminatory pricing in Kerala's television distribution market
- When
- Supreme Court decision on Tuesday, Kerala High Court order on 3 December 2025
- Where
- Kerala, India
- Why
- Asianet alleged JioStar's discriminatory pricing and abuse of dominance in the television distribution market
- Companies Involved
- JioStar, Asianet Digital Network, Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL)
- Regulatory Bodies
- Competition Commission of India (CCI), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)
- Allegations
- Abuse of dominance, discriminatory pricing
- Supreme Court Decision
- Dismissed JioStar's plea, allowed CCI investigation to proceed
- Investigation Timeline
- CCI to complete probe within eight weeks
- JioStar's Stakeholders
- Reliance Industries (63%), Disney (36.84%)
- Key Events
- Merger of Reliance's media business with Disney's India operations in November 2024
- Complaint Filed By
- Asianet Digital Network
