India Bans Streaming Apps You’ve Never Heard Of — But Millions Watch

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India has ordered nan blocking of 25 streaming services — many pinch millions of viewers and moreover paying subscribers — for allegedly promoting “obscene” content, successful 1 of nan South Asian nation’s biggest integer crackdowns yet. The bid affects lesser-known, but wildly celebrated services for illustration Ullu and ALTT that cater to nan country’s mass-market appetite for big and edgy entertainment.

This week, nan Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued directives to artifact entree to websites and apps linked to 25 streaming services, citing provisions of nan Information Technology Act of 2000 and nan IT Rules of 2021, TechCrunch learned.

The bid came months aft nan National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and a Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Information Technology raised concerns astir mature contented being streamed connected these platforms without capable safeguards.

The Indian authorities contacted net work providers and app stores, including Google Play and nan Apple App Store earlier this week to restrict these streaming services, a root privy to nan matter told TechCrunch.

Some of these services, particularly nan awesome ones pinch millions of subscribers, remained unrecorded astatine nan clip of filing this article.

Google and Apple did not respond to requests for comment. The accusation and broadcasting curate besides did not respond to an email sent Friday.

Of nan 25 streaming services, 10 offered in-app purchases done their apps connected Google Play and nan App Store, generating a cumulative $5.7 cardinal since motorboat pinch astir 105 cardinal downloads, per nan Appfigures information exclusively shared pinch TechCrunch. The wide spread betwixt in-app purchases and downloads is chiefly owed to their debased subscription costs — importantly little than Netflix and different world platforms successful India.

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Notably, immoderate of these streaming services were either ne'er listed connected accepted app stores aliases had been removed earlier, and alternatively offered their apps arsenic nonstop APK downloads. As of publication, immoderate of these APK files were still accessible done their websites aliases third-party platforms.

Earlier this month, Indian accumulation institution Balaji Telefilms, nan genitor of ALTT, disclosed that its streaming app generated ₹202.6 cardinal ($2.3 million) successful gross by adding 1.06 cardinal subscribers successful 2025. ALTT’s contented was watched for much than 5.8 cardinal hours, garnering 160 cardinal yearly views, nan institution said.

ALTT’s app was nary longer disposable for download done Google Play and nan App Store successful India, and its website was inaccessible connected astir Indian ISPs astatine nan clip of filing this article.

Balaji Telefilms did not respond to a petition for remark connected nan ban.

Ullu, different comparatively salient streaming work named by nan Indian government, remained disposable via its app connected nan Indian Play Store, and its website was accessible arsenic well. The service’s iOS app, however, was not disposable for download from nan Indian App Store.

Ullu Digital, nan genitor institution of Ullu, reported a nett profit of ₹212.3 cardinal ($2.5 million) for nan financial twelvemonth 2024, per its regulatory filing reviewed by TechCrunch. The institution posted a gross of ₹931.4 cardinal ($11 million) and declared a nett worthy of ₹2.08 cardinal ($24 million).

Ullu Digital did not respond to requests for comment.

Alongside millions of dollars successful subscription revenue, these streaming services were besides attracting millions of world visits to their websites.

Ullu saw astir 10% year-over-year maturation successful worldwide traffic, reaching 1.9 cardinal visits successful June, while ALTT recorded complete 130% maturation to 776,400, per SimilarWeb.

In India, Ullu recorded 18.9% year-over-year growth, reaching 1.8 cardinal visits, while ALTT saw a 157.8% summation to 696,200 visits, SimilarWeb information shows.

Importantly, this is not nan first clip nan streaming business has seen a crackdown successful India. Global platforms, including Amazon Prime Video and Netflix often face instances of censorship by nan Indian government.

However, moreover stricter actions are seen successful cases of obscenity contempt a deficiency of clarity connected regulations, arsenic watching definitive contented featuring afloat consensual interactions betwixt big actors successful a backstage abstraction is not a crime.

In 2023, nan past Indian accusation broadcasting curate warned streaming platforms not to service abusive and obscene content. New Delhi has besides blocked thousands of websites streaming pornographic content. On a plea to modulate sexually definitive contented successful April this year, India’s Supreme Court besides issued notices to streaming platforms and nan Indian government.

That said, curbing obscene contented remains a situation moreover for nan Indian government. Smaller streaming services — for illustration those targeted successful this crackdown — often reappear nether caller names, apps, and domains. It is arsenic difficult for intermediaries for illustration Google, Apple, and net providers to afloat artifact access, arsenic these platforms often dispersed done replacement channels and usage societal media platforms for illustration Instagram and YouTube to pull viewers.