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Google has been accused of "bundling" YouTube Music, their music streaming service, to their YouTube Premium users. The Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has been conducting an investigation into this matter for over a year.
According to Korean media outlet KBS, the deliberation process to determine sanctions is set to begin soon.
South Korean users who have subscribed to YouTube Premium, a service where users can watch YouTube videos without ads, for 14,900 KRW (~10.82 USD) a month were provided services to 'YouTube Music,' a music streaming service, without additional charges.
The number of YouTube Music users has rapidly increased, reaching up to 7 million people in Korea, even surpassing domestic companies (such as Melon) to become the number one streaming service in the Korean music market.
Since the service was launched, there have been consistent allegations of "bundling" services, and last February, the Korean FTC began its investigation. The core of the investigation is whether YouTube unfairly hindered the business activities of music streaming operators and restricted competition.
According to Korean media outlet KBS, the deliberation process to determine sanctions is set to begin soon.
South Korean users who have subscribed to YouTube Premium, a service where users can watch YouTube videos without ads, for 14,900 KRW (~10.82 USD) a month were provided services to 'YouTube Music,' a music streaming service, without additional charges.
The number of YouTube Music users has rapidly increased, reaching up to 7 million people in Korea, even surpassing domestic companies (such as Melon) to become the number one streaming service in the Korean music market.
Since the service was launched, there have been consistent allegations of "bundling" services, and last February, the Korean FTC began its investigation. The core of the investigation is whether YouTube unfairly hindered the business activities of music streaming operators and restricted competition.
Korean FTC may sanction Google for bundling YouTube Music with YouTube Premium as domestic streaming platforms suffer
Google has been accused of "bundling" YouTube Music, their music streaming service, to their YouTube Premium users. The Korean Fai…
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