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India shuts five streaming platforms showing ‘obscene’ content
The aim of imposing the ban is not to restrict creativity but to ensure compliance with existing laws, as well as to protect viewers and users from harmful or illegal content
- PUBLISHED: Wed 25 Feb 2026, 1:28 PM
Five over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, reportedly hosting and distributing ‘obscene’ contents have been banned by the Indian government.
The bans were imposed to regulate online streaming content under the existing information technology laws, said India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The five websites include MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu. They were found to be streaming material that violated legal standards governing digital content in India.
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The government said: "The aim of imposing these bans is not to restrict creativity but to ensure compliance with existing laws and protect viewers and users from harmful or illegal content. The rules aim to protect and maintain public decency, safeguard national interests and enforce ethical journalistic platforms across digital platforms."
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The ministry consulted other government ministries and departments, and industry bodies, besides experts in women's and children's rights. They included the ministries of Home Affairs, Women and Child Development, Electronics and Information Technology, and Law and Justice, besides the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) rules ban the hosting or publishing content that is “obscene, pornographic, invasive of another's privacy, insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, racially or ethnically objectionable, or promoting hate or violence.”
In July last year, the Indian government blocked websites and mobile apps linked to 25 OTT platforms that were allegedly broadcasting media seen as obscene, vulgar or even pornographic. Earlier, the government had warned the platforms, but they ignored the notices and continued publishing objectionable content using alternate domains.
"In case of failure of the intermediaries to observe the legal obligations as provided in the IT Rules, 2021, they lose their exemption from third party information provided under section 79 of the IT Act,” said a government release while blocking the sites. “They are liable for consequential action or prosecution as provided under any extant law."
India also has a self-regulatory body, the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council, comprising around 40 OTT members, which had earlier found some sites showing “distasteful and bizarre” scenes.
