India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has pulled down 7,393 URLs linked to online film piracy so far, a crackdown that includes 4,996 Telegram channels and 1,263 websites accused of hosting illegal copies of movies.
A tougher law behind the crackdown
The action rests on the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act 2023, which sharpened the government's tools against piracy. Under this law, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting can now send takedown notices directly to Telegram and other online platforms instead of relying solely on lengthy court proceedings, forcing quicker removal of pirated film content.
Complaints trigger immediate action
Whenever a copyright holder files a complaint, the ministry moves swiftly to either take down the infringing content or block access to it. To handle this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has set up a dedicated mechanism specifically to receive piracy complaints related to films. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan shared these details in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
Thousands of crores lost every year
Despite the rise of streaming platforms, piracy continues to inflict heavy losses on India's entertainment business, hitting films and OTT content the hardest. A 2025 report found that free and ad-supported streaming has significantly curbed music piracy, but video piracy remains widespread. As a result, the industry loses around ₹22,400 crore every year. Of this, ₹13,700 crore is lost to piracy of theatrical content, while ₹8,700 crore is lost due to people illegally accessing OTT content.
Why video piracy refuses to die down
According to industry experts, video piracy persists largely because filmmakers, TV producers and streaming platforms have not yet arrived at a pricing model that works across every income group. On top of that, films and shows being scattered across multiple platforms makes it harder for viewers to legally find and watch what they want, pushing many of them toward pirated sources instead.
