The Competition Commission of India (CCI) raided offices of advertising agencies GroupM, Dentsu and Interpublic Group in Mumbai, New Delhi and Gurugram. The CCI officers also visited the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation office for investigation.
According to Reuters report, around 10 locations were raided across the country. The action comes after CCI initiated a case against the agencies and top broadcasters over allegedly fixing ad rates and discounts.
Sources told Storyboard18 that GroupM’s Mumbai office near Mumbai airport Bay 99 has been blockaded by the CCI officials. The investigations are ongoing.
However, the exact reason behind the raids are yet to be ascertained, media reports suggest that the case involves top agencies and top broadcasters over allegedly fixing ad rates and discounts.