India orders blocking of 25 streaming platforms for "obscene content", source says

By Munsif Vengattil and Nandan Mandayam

India has ordered blocking public access to 25 streaming platforms, including Balaji Telefilms BALAJITELE-owned 'ALTT' for alleged obscene, vulgar and in some cases, pornographic content, a government official said on Friday.

Besides 'ALTT', other streaming platforms that were also banned were smaller, including players such as Ullu and Hulchul, according to the government official.

India has previously told streaming platforms, including Netflix NFLX, Disney DIS and others, that their content should be independently reviewed for obscenity and violence before being shown online.

Top Bollywood movie stars have featured in online movies and television series, some of which have faced criticism from lawmakers and the public for scenes deemed vulgar or offensive to religious sentiments.

'ALTT' had more than 1 million subscriptions in financial year ended March, and generated about 202.6 million Indian rupees in revenue during the year, Balaji Telefilms said earlier this month.

'ALTT' owner Balaji Telefilms BALAJITELE said in an exchange filing that the government order would have no significant impact on the company.

The government issued communications to all 25 streaming platforms last September to take down content deemed obscene, but they remained online, the official with India's information ministry, who did not want to be named, said.