Japan's Fair Trade Commission has launched a probe into whether fair competition is practiced in video distribution services for smart televisions.

It comes amid increasingly fierce competition among service providers to get customers. According to a survey by the communications ministry, 52 percent of people were using such services in the 2021 fiscal year.

The probe will cover Google, Amazon and other tech companies that provide distribution platforms, service providers such as Netflix, and content providers.

FTC officials will look into whether companies are manipulating search results to prioritize their own content, and whether they changed rules to charge higher fees for video distribution service providers.

The commission plans to compile a report on its findings.

FTC officials recently released a report saying the dominance of Google and Apple is undermining competition in the Japanese market for smartphone apps.

The report urges the government to lay down a legal framework to ensure fair competition.