India’s Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, announced that 18 OTT apps have been banned in India due to their dissemination of obscene and vulgar content, following repeated warnings. This move also extends to blocking 19 websites, 10 apps (seven on Google Play Store, three on Apple App Store), and 57 social media handles associated with these platforms nationwide.
Notably, one of the banned OTT apps had over one crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads on Google Play Store. The Ministry emphasised that despite prior warnings, platforms like Uncut Adda, Dreams Films, and Prime Play continued to host objectionable content, including pornography.
OTT Apps Banned: Reasons and Impact
The OTT platforms have been banned for violating Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act, Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
Ministry of I&B blocks 18 OTT platforms for obscene and vulgar content after multiple warnings; 19 websites, 10 apps, 57 social media handles of OTT platforms blocked nationwide, says the government. pic.twitter.com/03ojj3YEiF
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2024
Explaining the reason for the ban, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting stated,
“A significant portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner. It depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc. The shows and movies had a lot of sexual jokes and sometimes had long scenes with explicit sexual content that didn’t really have any important meaning or relate to society.”
The social media accounts associated with these OTT platforms had a combined followership of over 32 lakh users, but their content was found to be in violation of the IT Act, IPC, and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. According to the I&B ministry, these OTT platforms extensively used social media to share trailers, specific scenes, and external links to attract audiences to their websites and apps.
Government Actions on 18 OTT Apps and Social Media Handles
These OTT apps were quite popular, with one having more than one crore downloads and the other two having over 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store. Additionally, the social media accounts associated with these platforms had over 32 lakh followers.
The government has also blocked access to several social media accounts related to these OTT platforms, including 12 Facebook accounts, 17 Instagram accounts, 16 Twitter accounts (now called X), and 12 YouTube accounts.
The 18 OTT apps banned by the government:
|
S.No. |
OTT App |
| 1 | Dreams Films |
| 2 | Voovi |
| 3 | Yessma |
| 4 | Uncut Adda |
| 5 | Tri Flicks |
| 6 | X Prime |
| 7 | Neon X VIP |
| 8 | Besharams |
| 9 | Hunters |
| 10 | Rabbit |
| 11 | Xtramood |
| 12 | Nuefliks |
| 13 | MoodX |
| 14 | Mojflix |
| 15 | Hot Shots VIP |
| 16 | Fugi |
| 17 | Chikooflix |
| 18 | Prime Play |
Government Efforts to Regulate OTT Platforms
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regularly engages with OTT platforms and their self-regulatory bodies to raise awareness through meetings, webinars, workshops, and more.
The Government of India is dedicated to supporting the growth of the OTT industry. Various initiatives have been implemented, such as introducing the Inaugural OTT Award for Web Series at the 54th International Film Festival of India and collaborating with OTT platforms in the media and entertainment sector. Furthermore, a light-touch regulatory framework has been established under the IT Rules, 2021, emphasizing self-regulation.
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