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Google has escalated its legal battle against India's competition watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), by filing an appeal in the Supreme Court. The tech giant is challenging a March 2025 ruling by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) which largely affirmed the CCI's findings that Google abused its dominant position in the Android ecosystem through its Play Store policies and the promotion of Google Pay.

The appeal, filed on July 21, is expected to be listed for hearing soon. This development marks the latest chapter in a protracted legal dispute that began with a CCI investigation into Google's Play Store billing practices in November 2020.

In October 2022, the CCI had initially concluded that Google engaged in anti-competitive behavior by mandating the use of its Google Play Billing System (GPBS) for app purchases, while exempting its own applications like YouTube from similar commission structures. The CCI imposed a hefty fine of ₹936.44 crore and directed Google to cease these practices, including allowing third-party billing and ensuring data transparency.

The NCLAT's March 28 ruling largely upheld the core findings of abuse. The tribunal agreed that Google leveraged its dominance in the markets for licensable operating systems for smartphones and app stores for Android OS to unfairly promote Google Pay, thereby violating Section 4(2)(e) of the Competition Act. 

"We are satisfied that dominance in [the] first two markets has been used to leverage to promote and protect its position in the market for UPI enabled digital payment apps,” the NCLAT stated in its judgment. It also affirmed the CCI's conclusion under Section 4(2)(a)(i) that Google imposed unfair and discriminatory conditions on developers through mandatory GPBS usage.

However, the NCLAT also provided some relief to Google. It set aside the CCI's findings regarding denial of market access and restriction of innovation, noting that Google's billing services constituted less than 1% of total UPI transactions and that there was insufficient evidence of market foreclosure or hindrance to technical development.

Crucially, the NCLAT overturned several "ex-ante" or preventive directives issued by the CCI, including obligations based on Google's designation as a "gatekeeper." Citing the 2024 Digital Competition Law Committee Report, the Tribunal ruled that such forward-looking measures exceeded the CCI's powers under the existing ex-post competition law framework.

The original penalty of ₹936.44 crore was also recalibrated by the NCLAT. The tribunal determined that the CCI erred in applying the penalty to Google’s global turnover, reducing the fine to ₹216.69 crore by limiting it to Play Store-specific revenues.

In a subsequent order on May 1, the NCLAT addressed what it described as an "inadvertent error" in its original judgment, reinstating two key data-related directives from the CCI. These directives require Google to disclose its data policies and refrain from leveraging billing data for competitive advantage. Google's objection that this amounted to a review of the judgment was rejected by the tribunal.

The Supreme Court will now review Google’s appeal, which challenges both the substance of the NCLAT's ruling and the procedural correction made in its May 1 order. The outcome of this appeal will have significant implications for how dominant digital platforms operate in India's rapidly evolving digital economy.

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Google takes Android dominance battle to Supreme Court

Google-owned YouTube has introduced new generative AI tools for YouTube Shorts, aimed at empowering creators to enhance and streamline their content creation process. The new tools include an image-to-video feature, along with AI-powered effects, designed to elevate and simplify content creation on the platform.


The new image-to-video tool allows users to transform any photo from their camera roll or gallery into a six-second animated video. According to the company’s blog post, this feature will be rolled out now and over the next week—free of charge—in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with more regions to follow later this year.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/youtube-is-a-core-part-of-indias-advertising-ecosystem-ajay-vidyasagar-of-youtube-64237.htm">YouTube is a core part of India’s advertising ecosystem: Ajay Vidyasagar of YouTube</a> 


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The company highlighted that their latest generative AI effects can transform doodles into images and turn selfies into videos, with fun options like swimming underwater, twinning with a lookalike sibling, and more. The post added, “Find these and other effects by navigating to the Effects icon in the Shorts camera, then tap on AI to browse all generative effects. We’ll be expanding access to more creators globally in the coming weeks.”


The post highlighted that the photo-to-video feature and generative effects are powered by Veo 2, with Veo 3 set to roll out on YouTube Shorts later this summer. It also noted that Google Photos is launching its own photo-to-video feature, further expanding the company’s suite of creative tools, which includes Gemini.


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YouTube Shorts launches AI tools to boost creator content

Alphabet’s Sales and Marketing expenses increased by 4.6% year-over-year in the June quarter (from $6.79 billion to $7.10 billion). On a year-to-date basis, spending rose by 11.4% (from $13.22 billion in 2024 to $14.72 billion in 2025). This suggests a steady uptick in promotional or customer acquisition efforts, possibly tied to expanding AI products, platform competition, or new market strategies.

Highlighting the company’s momentum as it leans into artificial intelligence and its core advertising business. The company posted a 14% year-over-year rise in revenue to $96.43 billion, while net income climbed 19% to $28.2 billion. Operating income grew 14% to $31.27 billion, with services revenue up 12% to $82.5 billion.

Google’s advertising revenue climbed to $71.3 billion from $64.6 billion a year earlier, a 10.4 percent increase, with YouTube ad revenue jumping 13 percent to $9.8 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, ad revenue was up 6.6 percent, matching the sequential growth in overall revenue, while profit rose 2.17 percent.

Search, Google’s largest business, benefited from the company’s aggressive rollout of AI features, including AI Mode, which launched in the United States and India, and AI Overviews, now available in more than 200 countries and territories. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s chief executive, emphasized that these additions are driving increased user engagement.

“AI Overviews now has over 2 billion monthly users across more than 200 countries and territories and 40 languages,” Pichai said, noting that the features are prompting users to search more frequently, especially among younger audiences.

Pichai described the quarter as a reflection of the company’s strong positioning in artificial intelligence. “We had a standout quarter, with robust growth across the company. We are leading at the frontier of AI and shipping at an incredible pace. AI is positively impacting every part of the business, driving strong momentum. Search delivered double-digit revenue growth, and our new features, like AI Overviews and AI Mode, are performing well,” he said.

Beyond Search, Alphabet continues to see strength across its portfolio. YouTube’s ad and subscription businesses expanded, while Shorts, its short-form video offering, now generates as much revenue per watch hour in the United States as traditional instream ads. “In some countries, it now even exceeds instream's rate,” Pichai said.

Alphabet’s cloud division also posted gains, with Google Cloud revenues rising 32 percent to $13.6 billion, driven by demand for AI products and infrastructure. “Nearly all gen AI unicorns use Google Cloud,” Pichai said, as the division’s annual revenue run rate now exceeds $50 billion, with new Google Cloud Platform customers increasing nearly 28 percent from the previous quarter.

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/the-ai-checkmate-googles-licensing-push-tests-the-limits-of-tech-publisher-power-dynamics-76456.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The AI checkmate: Google's licensing push tests the limits of tech–publisher power dynamics</a>

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Google-owner Alphabet spends $14.72 billion on sales & marketing in FY25

Alphabet reported a strong second quarter, highlighting the resilience of its core advertising business as it accelerates its artificial intelligence push. The company’s flagship Google Search unit delivered double-digit revenue growth, helping drive a 14 percent year-over-year increase in overall revenue to $96.43 billion. Net income rose 19 percent to $28.2 billion for the quarter that ended in June.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/sundar-pichai-says-ai-overviews-now-has-over-2-billion-monthly-users-as-google-reports-standout-quarter-76475.htm">Read more: Sundar Pichai says Google Search's AI Overviews now has over 2 billion monthly users</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/youtubes-ad-revenue-climbs-13-to-9-8-billion-in-q2-fueling-googles-growth-76483.htm">Read more: YouTube's ad revenue climbs 13% to $9.8 billion in Q2, fueling Google’s growth</a>

Google’s advertising revenue climbed to $71.3 billion from $64.6 billion a year earlier, a 10.4 percent increase, with YouTube ad revenue jumping 13 percent to $9.8 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, ad revenue was up 6.6 percent, matching the sequential growth in overall revenue, while profit rose 2.17 percent.

Search, Google’s largest business, benefited from the company’s aggressive rollout of AI features, including AI Mode, which launched in the United States and India, and AI Overviews, now available in more than 200 countries and territories. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s chief executive, emphasized that these additions are driving increased user engagement.

“AI Overviews now has over 2 billion monthly users across more than 200 countries and territories and 40 languages,” Pichai said, noting that the features are prompting users to search more frequently, especially among younger audiences.

Pichai described the quarter as a reflection of the company’s strong positioning in artificial intelligence. “We had a standout quarter, with robust growth across the company. We are leading at the frontier of AI and shipping at an incredible pace. AI is positively impacting every part of the business, driving strong momentum. Search delivered double-digit revenue growth, and our new features, like AI Overviews and AI Mode, are performing well,” he said.

Beyond Search, Alphabet continues to see strength across its portfolio. YouTube’s ad and subscription businesses expanded, while Shorts, its short-form video offering, now generates as much revenue per watch hour in the United States as traditional instream ads. “In some countries, it now even exceeds instream's rate,” Pichai said.

Alphabet’s cloud division also posted gains, with Google Cloud revenues rising 32 percent to $13.6 billion, driven by demand for AI products and infrastructure. “Nearly all gen AI unicorns use Google Cloud,” Pichai said, as the division’s annual revenue run rate now exceeds $50 billion, with new Google Cloud Platform customers increasing nearly 28 percent from the previous quarter.

Alphabet is ramping up its AI investments, planning capital expenditures of approximately $85 billion in 2025 to support its infrastructure and meet growing demand for generative AI solutions. “We operate the leading global network of AI optimized data centers and cloud regions,” Pichai said.

Google’s Gemini models, which Pichai described as providing “industry-leading performance in nearly every major benchmark,” are now integrated across products, including Workspace and the Gemini App, which has over 450 million monthly active users.

The company’s autonomous vehicle unit, Waymo, also marked progress, expanding its driverless operations in Austin, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and launching in Atlanta last month. “The Waymo Driver has now autonomously driven over 100 million miles on public roads,” Mr. Pichai said.

Alphabet’s quarterly results reflect the strength of its diversified business, anchored by Search and underpinned by its AI advancements. As Mr. Pichai noted, “This is all possible because of the long-term investments we've made in our differentiated, full-stack approach to AI. This spans AI infrastructure; world-class research, models and tooling; and our products and platforms that bring AI to people all over the world.”

Google Search helps power Alphabet’s $96.4 billion quarter as AI push gains speed

Google has opened negotiations with nearly 20 national news publishers, signaling a shift in how the tech giant intends to engage with the media industry in the age of generative AI. According to a Bloomberg report, the pilot initiative aims to license news content for use in Google’s AI-driven products, including chatbots and AI-generated summaries. The move is being viewed as both a reputational reset and a legal safeguard.

Tensions between tech platforms and media houses have been mounting as AI tools increasingly rely on publisher content to train models and generate responses that divert users away from original sources. While startups like OpenAI and Perplexity AI have already begun licensing content, Google's scale makes its efforts particularly consequential.

If the pilot succeeds, it could open up a fresh revenue stream for news outlets that have been hit hard by declining ad revenue and reader engagement. But analysts caution that Google’s latest move is as much about managing risk as it is about rebuilding trust.

"Search engines integrating generative AI are increasingly vulnerable to legal scrutiny," says Siddharth Chandrashekhar, advocate and counsel at the Bombay High Court. He points to lawsuits like The New York Times versus OpenAI and formal complaints filed in the European Union against Google as signals of a global wave of copyright and antitrust litigation. "As AI tools reduce traffic to publisher sites, claims of copyright infringement and market harm will grow, especially if content is reused without explicit consent. Without regulatory clarity, platforms integrating Gen AI have two options: license or risk litigation."

Chandrashekhar explains that under most copyright regimes, using protected content in AI tools, especially when excerpts or paraphrased segments are displayed, requires permission from the rights holders. "Google’s AI tools surface identifiable text directly, which is more than mere indexing. Thus, licensing from publishers is a prudent legal safeguard."

He adds that in India, where "fair dealing" is narrower and mostly limited to non-commercial use, licensing becomes even more critical. "This is not merely image management. It is a legal risk mitigation strategy, particularly as courts worldwide begin examining what constitutes transformative use."

Unlike jurisdictions such as the EU or the UK, India does not explicitly allow commercial text and data mining. In contrast, U.S. courts have sometimes upheld the training of AI models on publicly accessible content as transformative fair use. However, judgments like the one in the Anthropic case have drawn boundaries, especially where acquisition is unlawful.

According to Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal and Associates, "Lawsuits like NYT versus OpenAI are a harbinger. As generative AI becomes part of mainstream search experiences, entities with significant market power and heavy content reliance will become prime targets."

She argues that courts will soon be forced to confront a core legal question: whether AI-generated content differs enough from classical search to qualify under fair use. "Legally, there’s a significant difference between indexing for retrieval and synthesizing or repackaging content in AI-generated formats. Indexing supports discovery. Generation arguably creates a derivative work. The line is crossed when the AI output mimics the substance or structure of proprietary material in a way that supplants its value."

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/indias-ai-revolution-airtel-hand-delivers-perplexity-pro-to-370-mn-challenging-googles-reign-75571.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Airtel’s bold bet: Perplexity Pro lands on 370 mn phones, taking aim at Google in India’s AI race</a>

While the legal calculus unfolds, industry insiders are also scrutinizing the economics of the licensing model. Arjit Sachdeva, co-founder of VDO.AI, believes Google's gesture is well-timed but incomplete. "Google’s licensing push is a step in the right direction. However, at face value, it reflects a strategic move to de-escalate tensions with publishers and demonstrate a willingness to share value. But structurally, the model remains limited."

According to Sachdeva, when AI Overviews appear in search results, they trigger a sharp drop in organic traffic for publishers. "That’s not just a dent in visibility. It’s a direct hit on revenue. While licensing introduces a new stream, the current pay-per-crawl model is a one-time transaction for perpetual value extraction. In contrast, a publisher’s monetisation model is recurring and dynamic."

He suggests that the real solution lies in a more scalable and usage-based compensation system, similar to music royalties. "Publishers should be paid each time their content contributes to an AI response. This could be structured through tokenization or pay-per-query frameworks. So yes, licensing is a positive gesture, but unless it’s tied to scalable, repeatable compensation models, it won't offset the structural revenue erosion AI is creating."

The impact is not limited to organic traffic. As AI Overviews and summary-first interfaces gain traction, Sachdeva notes a stagnation in video ad engagement across multiple publisher partners. The issue is visibility. "When answers are served at the top of the page, fewer users scroll through to the ad-supported content below the fold."

On the supply side, another challenge is rising. The proliferation of MFA (Made-for-Advertising) websites, many fueled by AI-generated content, is diluting inventory quality. "IAS research shows MFA video impressions garner 28 percent lower attention, and recent studies indicate up to a 50 percent drop in reader trust when AI content is suspected."

For Sachdeva, the way forward is clear. "The opportunity now lies in rebuilding monetisation models that optimize for attention, quality, and context, not just impressions. That’s the roadmap we’re betting on."

As Google's licensing pilot unfolds, what remains to be seen is whether it can truly rebalance the equation between those who build the platforms and those who create the content that fuels them.

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/is-perplexity-the-supercharged-google-that-will-unseat-chatgpt-in-india-75811.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Is Perplexity the "supercharged Google" that will unseat ChatGPT in India?</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/special-coverage/storyboard18-dnpa-conclave-2025-meitys-abhishek-singh-to-share-views-on-digital-news-platforms-57304.htm">Read more: Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025: MEITY’s Abhishek Singh to share views on future-ready digital ecosystems</a>

The AI checkmate: Google's licensing push tests the limits of tech–publisher power dynamics

Alphabet reported a strong second quarter, with growth across its sprawling business, as the company’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence fuels its core products and newer bets, including cloud and autonomous driving. “Q2 was a standout quarter for us, with robust growth across the company,” Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s chief executive, said during the company’s earnings call. “As you saw at I/O, we are leading at the frontier of AI and shipping at an incredible pace. AI is positively impacting every part of the business, driving strong momentum.”

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/youtubes-ad-revenue-climbs-13-to-9-8-billion-in-q2-fueling-googles-growth-76483.htm">Read more: YouTube's ad revenue climbs 13% to $9.8 billion in Q2, fueling Google’s growth</a>

Search, Google’s largest business, delivered double-digit revenue growth, aided by new features such as AI Mode, which launched in the United States and India. “AI Overviews now has over 2 billion monthly users across more than 200 countries and territories and 40 languages,” Pichai noted, adding that the company’s new AI features are prompting users to search more frequently, particularly among younger audiences.

At the same time, YouTube showed strength in both advertising and subscriptions, with the company reporting that Shorts, its short-form video product, now earns as much revenue per watch hour as traditional instream ads in the United States. “In some countries, it now even exceeds instream's rate,” Pichai said.

Google Cloud, the company’s fastest-growing division, continued to benefit from what Mr. Pichai described as “significant demand for our comprehensive AI product portfolio.” The unit, which has an annual revenue run rate of more than $50 billion, has seen large customer deals double year-over-year, with the number of new Google Cloud Platform customers rising by nearly 28% quarter-over-quarter. “Nearly all gen AI unicorns use Google Cloud,” Pichai said.

The company’s focus on artificial intelligence extends beyond product launches to the underlying infrastructure that powers these offerings. “We operate the leading global network of AI optimized data centers and cloud regions,” Pichai said, emphasizing that the company’s investments in AI accelerators and optimized software packages are designed to meet growing demand while improving performance and efficiency.

Google’s Gemini models, which Pichai described as providing “industry-leading performance in nearly every major benchmark,” have been integrated across the company’s offerings, from Workspace to the Gemini App, which now has over 450 million monthly active users. In June alone, more than 50 million people used AI-powered meeting notes in Google Meet, and Google’s new video generation model, Veo 3, has been used to create over 70 million videos since May.

The company also highlighted continued momentum in Waymo, its autonomous driving unit, which launched in Atlanta last month while expanding its service areas in Austin, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. “The Waymo Driver has now autonomously driven over 100 million miles on public roads,” Pichai said.

The company sees artificial intelligence as central to its future. “This is all possible because of the long-term investments we've made in our differentiated, full-stack approach to AI,” Pichai said. “This spans AI infrastructure; world-class research, models and tooling; and our products and platforms that bring AI to people all over the world.”

As Alphabet moves deeper into AI-powered products, the company signaled plans to “keep enhancing the AI Mode experience for users by shipping great features, fast,” with improvements such as Deep Search and personalized responses in Search, while expanding AI-powered features across YouTube, Workspace, and Android.

Sundar Pichai says Google Search's AI Overviews now has over 2 billion monthly users

Google announced several initiatives aimed at advancing India's artificial intelligence capabilities and supporting its developer community at Google I/O Connect India 2025 on Wednesday.

A key announcement was the localization of onshore processing for Gemini 2.5 Flash. This aims to provide faster, low-latency AI performance for Indian developers, particularly in regulated sectors such as healthcare, finance, and governance.

Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind, stated, "Indian developers are literally writing the next chapter of India's success story, using AI capabilities to build real-world applications that are reaching millions of businesses and people across India and the world."

Google also highlighted its commitment to India's developer ecosystem. The company reported that its Play and Android platforms generated ₹4 lakh crore in revenue and created 35 lakh jobs in 2024. Additionally, Google introduced agentic AI tools and optimized templates within Firebase Studio, designed to enable developers to build and deploy full-stack AI applications with increased speed and efficiency.

For mobile commerce, Google expanded access to over 250 million mapped places globally and launched India-specific pricing for Google Maps UI components. AI-powered summaries in the Places API will assist developers in creating location-based services for Indian users.

Furthering India's AI ambitions, Google is collaborating with three India AI Mission startups—Sarvam, Soket AI, and Gnani—on Make-in-India AI models based on Gemma. Sarvam's "Sarvam-Translate" model was cited as an example of this work. In partnership with IIT Bombay's BharatGen, Google is also working to advance ASR and TTS models for Indic languages.

To support the Indian game development community, Google launched the 'Google Play x Unity Game Developer Training' program in collaboration with Unity and GDAI. This program will initially target 500 Indian developers, offering over 30 hours of specialized training across various game development roles.

The Gen AI Exchange Hackathon was also highlighted, encouraging developers to apply AI skills to real-world challenges. During the event, startups including Sarvam, InVideo, Glance, and Nykaa showcased solutions developed using Google's AI models.

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/indias-ai-revolution-airtel-hand-delivers-perplexity-pro-to-370-mn-challenging-googles-reign-75571.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Airtel’s bold bet: Perplexity Pro lands on 370 mn phones, taking aim at Google in India’s AI race</a>

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Google boosts India's AI ambition with Gemini localization, developer support

Alphabet reported a robust second quarter for 2025, highlighting the company’s momentum as it leans into artificial intelligence and its core advertising business. The company posted a 14% year-over-year rise in revenue to $96.43 billion, while net income climbed 19% to $28.2 billion. Operating income grew 14% to $31.27 billion, with services revenue up 12% to $82.5 billion.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/sundar-pichai-says-ai-overviews-now-has-over-2-billion-monthly-users-as-google-reports-standout-quarter-76475.htm">Read more: Sundar Pichai says AI Overviews now has over 2 billion monthly users as Google reports standout quarter</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/google-search-helps-power-alphabets-96-4-billion-quarter-as-ai-push-gains-speed-76513.htm">Read more: Google Search helps power Alphabet’s $96.4 billion quarter as AI push gains speed</a>

Google’s advertising revenue rose to $71.3 billion from $64.6 billion a year ago, marking a 10.4% annual increase. YouTube ad revenue also beat expectations, climbing 13% year-over-year to $9.8 billion.

Compared to the previous quarter, ad revenue was up 6.6%, with overall revenue showing the same sequential increase, while profit rose 2.17%.

Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, said: “We had a standout quarter, with robust growth across the company. We are leading at the frontier of AI and shipping at an incredible pace. AI is positively impacting every part of the business, driving strong momentum. Search delivered double-digit revenue growth, and our new features, like AI Overviews and AI Mode, are performing well. We continue to see strong performance in YouTube as well as subscription offerings. And Cloud had strong growth in revenues, backlog and profitability. Its annual revenue run-rate is now more than $50 billion. With this strong and growing demand for our Cloud products and services, we are increasing our investment in capital expenditures in 2025 to approximately $85 billion and are excited by the opportunity ahead.”

SUMMARY: Alphabet Inc. financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2025.

• Consolidated Alphabet revenues in Q2 2025 increased 14%, or 13% in constant currency, year over year to
$96.4 billion reflecting robust momentum across the business. Google Search & other, YouTube ads, Google
subscriptions, platforms, and devices, and Google Cloud each delivered double-digit growth in Q2.

• Google Services revenues increased 12% to $82.5 billion, reflecting strong performance across Google
Search & other, Google subscriptions, platforms, and devices, and YouTube ads.

• Google Cloud revenues increased 32% to $13.6 billion, led by growth in Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
across core GCP products, AI Infrastructure, and Generative AI Solutions.

• Total operating income increased 14% and operating margin was 32.4%. Operating margin benefited from
strong revenue growth and continued efficiencies in the expense base, partially offset by a charge related to
a settlement in principle of certain legal matters.

• Net income increased 19% and EPS increased 22% to $2.31.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/youtube-advertising-revenue-clocks-10-47-billion-in-q4-parent-firm-alphabets-ai-investments-rise-55671.htm">Read more: YouTube advertising revenue clocks $10.47 billion in Q4; Parent-firm Alphabet's AI investments rise</a>

YouTube's ad revenue climbs 13% to $9.8 billion in Q2, fueling Google’s growth

Google is making a deeper play for the fast-growing retail media market, rolling out new tools that promise to connect brands and retailers with sharper targeting and greater transparency, while leaning heavily on the tech giant’s artificial intelligence capabilities.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/google-offers-indian-college-students-free-access-to-rs-19500-ai-pro-plan-to-boost-digital-learning-74968.htm">Read more: Google offers Indian college students free access to Rs 19,500 AI Pro plan to boost digital learning</a>

The company announced that its Commerce Media suite, now available in beta, will extend across Search Ads 360, Display & Video 360 and Google Ads, offering what it describes as “expanded reach and Google AI-driven performance” for advertisers looking to tap into the booming retail media sector.

Retail media — where retailers use their digital properties to sell ad space to brands — has become one of the fastest-growing segments in advertising. Google, with its reach across YouTube, Search and Display, is now positioning itself as the connective tissue between retailers and brands seeking to capture shoppers across the web.

One of the marquee developments is a partnership with Roundel, US-based Target’s retail media arm, which will now allow advertisers to measure online, app and offline sales data within Performance Max campaigns through Search Ads 360. This move, Google says, will allow brands to better assess how digital ads translate into actual purchases, whether they happen online or in physical stores.

Beyond Performance Max, Google is expanding measurement capabilities to Search, Shopping and Demand Gen campaigns within Google Ads, offering brands a broader view of their media investments.

Google also announced improved self-service options for major marketplaces, including Shopee, Rakuten and Flipkart, enabling these platforms to share product catalogs directly with brands for advertising, a move that could streamline collaboration between e-commerce players and advertisers in markets like India and Southeast Asia.

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In a notable expansion, Google is bringing retail media to YouTube through Display & Video 360, giving brands additional reach for commerce-focused campaigns on one of the world’s largest video platforms. The company also revealed that it is piloting product-level measurement tools, which would allow brands and retailers to analyze the effectiveness of their ad spend against specific product and category sales data.

For Google, the push into retail media comes as advertisers seek new ways to reach consumers amid shifting privacy rules and changing online behaviors. By offering integrated measurement and targeting capabilities powered by AI, Google is aiming to become a critical partner for brands and retailers navigating the complex world of commerce media.

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Google expands retail media play, partners Flipkart and Shopee to boost AI-powered commerce ads

The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) ongoing probe into illegal online betting and gambling has gained strong backing from industry stakeholders and legal experts, as the agency intensifies scrutiny of tech giants Meta and Google for allegedly enabling advertisements for illegal gaming platforms.

 
Both companies failed to appear before the ED on July 21, citing the need for more time to gather documents. They have now been re-summoned for deposition on July 28. The summons are part of the ED’s investigation into whether the platforms have violated Indian laws by allowing promotion of illicit betting services—many of which are under probe for money laundering and tax evasion.

 
The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) has expressed strong support for the ED’s actions, calling it a "significant and welcome step" that could lead to greater accountability in digital advertising.

 
“We have consistently raised concerns about the rampant promotion of illegal offshore betting and gambling platforms through online media. The ED’s summons to digital intermediaries is a much-needed push for compliance,” an AIGF spokesperson said.

 
AIGF emphasized the need for a comprehensive national regulatory framework, arguing that a system distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate platforms is essential to safeguard consumers and uphold the rule of law.

 
Jay Sayta, a leading technology and gaming lawyer, noted that Meta and Google appear to have been summoned under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, but it's unclear whether they're being treated as witnesses or entities under suspicion.

 
“Intermediaries like Meta and Google are obligated to remove illegal gambling-related content under the IT Act. Failure to do so may expose them to criminal liability if safe harbour protections are lost,” Sayta said.

 
He added that while the companies may not be directly involved in betting operations, continued inaction in disabling flagged content could have serious legal repercussions.

 
Amrit Singh, President of the Skill Online Games Institute (SOGI), praised the ED's action while urging the government to move quickly on implementing the MEITY Rules for Online Gaming. These rules, though notified, are yet to be enforced.

 
“The distinction between Games of Skill and Games of Chance is constitutionally and legally significant. Without a proper skill-chance framework, platforms like Meta, Google, OTTs, and TV channels remain exposed to legal grey zones,” Singh said.

 
He explained that current ambiguity forces platforms to either block all gaming ads, accept all, or use discretionary judgments based on court certifications or blacklists. But even blacklists are undermined by tactics like domain farming, where banned platforms reappear under new names.

 
“For Meta, Google, and others to avoid promoting gambling unintentionally, MEITY must urgently implement a national framework that clearly defines permissible and non-permissible games,” Singh said.

 
The ED’s investigation includes high-profile platforms like Mahadev Online Book, and several celebrities and sportspersons are also under scrutiny for endorsing or promoting such services. The probe has revealed widespread misuse of digital advertising by illegal entities, costing consumers and the government crores in financial losses.

 
With over a dozen cases being examined across India, ED officials say their focus is not only on promoters of these platforms but also on intermediaries that may be complicit in their proliferation.

 
As the July 28 deposition date approaches, stakeholders are hopeful the ED’s move will set a precedent for tighter regulation and corporate accountability. However, they agree that lasting impact will only come through comprehensive laws, strict enforcement, and digital ecosystem-wide cooperation.

 
“This is not just about punishing a few violators—it’s about building a responsible, lawful, and consumer-safe online gaming environment,” the AIGF spokesperson said.

 
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also summoned prominent film actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Lakshmi Manchu in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to illegal online betting and gambling platforms, official sources confirmed on Monday.

 
According to federal agency sources, all four celebrities have been issued notices to appear before the ED’s zonal office in Hyderabad over the next few weeks. Rana Daggubati (40) has been called for questioning on July 23, while Prakash Raj (60) is to appear on July 30. Vijay Deverakonda (36) has been summoned on August 6, followed by Lakshmi Manchu (47) on August 13.



Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/gaming-news/google-meta-summoned-again-by-ed-in-online-betting-money-laundering-probe-75738.htm">Google, Meta summoned again by ED in online betting money laundering probe</a>

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