Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Premium
Government bans five new streaming platforms for showing obscene content, months after banning ALTT Balaji. All you need to know
The newly banned platforms include MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu. The action was taken in accordance with the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology Rules, 2021.
Five streaming platforms banned in India. (AI generated image)
Nearly a year after banning over 25 OTT platforms, the Government of India has blocked five more streaming services for allegedly hosting obscene content. The newly banned platforms include MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu. The action was taken in accordance with the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021), which were introduced to curb unlawful and harmful content in the digital space.
Government bans 5 streaming platforms
According to ANI, “Five obscene OTT platforms have been blocked by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu.”
As reported by Mint, the latest crackdown followed consultations between multiple government departments, including the Ministries of Home Affairs, Women and Child Development, Electronics and Information Technology, and Law and Justice. Industry bodies such as Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), along with experts working in women and child rights, were also involved in the review process.
‘Objective is not to restrict creativity but ensure legal compliance’
The action has been taken under Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT Rules, 2021. Under these provisions, intermediaries are prohibited from 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.”
Clarifying its stance, the government has previously stated that the objective is not to restrict creativity but to ensure legal compliance. “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 under Section 79 of the IT Act. They are liable for consequential action or prosecution as provided under any extant law,” the statement read.
When 25 OTT platforms were banned in 2025
The move mirrors a similar crackdown in July 2025, when the government ordered the blocking of websites and mobile applications linked to 25 OTT platforms accused of streaming content deemed obscene, vulgar, or in certain instances, pornographic. That list included ALTT, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, ShowHit, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Feneo, ShowX, SoI Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, NeonX VIP, Fugi, Mojflix and Triflicks.
Story continues below this ad
When Ekta Kapoor shared reason behind launching ALTT
Among them, ALTT Balaji drew significant attention due to its association with producer Ekta Kapoor.
Speaking about her intent behind launching the app in an earlier interview with Faye D’Souza on her YouTube channel, Kapoor had said, “ALTT was supposed to be risky. I will not deny the strategy. I don’t like fitting in — that’s my problem. I feel bad girls make history and you have to be out there. Some people will hate you, but you have to say what you believe in. I don’t have a problem with sex, but I have a lot of problem with sexual crime. I feel people misunderstand the two so badly that they confuse the two and land up in bigger crimes.”
She added, “I had these eight girls and I was like, ‘We are going to launch ALTT Balaji and you’re going to create content. We are going to normalise sex for the world. It is going to be risky and we are going to wear it on our sleeves.’ And suddenly, it hit us like a ton of bricks. Then you couldn’t curate the content and some of it was not savoury. My mom was like, ‘Who put this out?’ Then we had to walk out of it, and it was all a mess.”
Kapoor clarified, “ALTT is owned by us, but we don’t run it. I don’t really look into it — there is a team for it. But still, now and then it keeps happening, and I am like, ‘I would not approve this.’”
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
Live Blog
