Centre bans all Pakistan-linked content on OTT Platforms

The Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor in retaliation have further strained the ties between India and its archrival Pakistan. Indian citizens are vehemently demanding a permanent ban on any trade or bilateral diplomacy with the enemy nation.

Amidst the cross-border tension and in the interest of national security, the Indian government today made a crucial decision. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) issued an advisory to publishers of online curated content, media streaming platforms, and intermediaries to discontinue any web-series, films, songs, podcasts, and other content having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect. The advisory was issued basis of Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021.

The I&B Ministry’s advisory highlights that several terrorist attacks in India have been traced back to state and non-state actors based in Pakistan. Already, there have been several nationwide protests against Indian actors and filmmakers working with Pakistani-origin actors and technicians.

Following the Pahalgam terror attack, few movies were under intense scrutiny for employing Pakistani-origin actors. Several regional and Bollywood movies had the presence of Pakistan-origin actors and technicians in the past. The advisory might force the streaming platforms to delete any such references of take down the entire content, if needed.

Indian government’s latest move will also adversely impact all the future streamings of sporting events, especially cricket, between India and Pakistan. This is set to cause a huge dent in revenues for the streaming platforms. Already, the BCCI had declined several proposals to play in Pakistan, including the Champions Trophy. However, the India vs Pakistan group match was held in Dubai in February.