Ctrl + Alt + Delete: The OTT Ban and the Hypocrisy of Content Regulation in India

ULLU subscribers woke up last month to find their favorite shows gone, courtesy of a government ban.

- Diya Sher & Dr. Alisha Verma

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s decision in July 2025 to restrict access to over 20 OTT platforms, such as ULLU, ALTT, Prime Shots, and many others, sparked a debate in the legal and media sectors about the direction. These platforms were accused of broadcasting pornographic and obscene content, which prompted the government to pursue them under the Information Technology Act and other relevant laws. The aim of the action is claimed to safeguard public morality and prevent children from viewing inappropriate content. However, it raises important concerns regarding the future of creative freedom in India’s digital space, regulatory excess, and selective enforcement.

In recent years, India’s OTT ecosystem has experienced rapid growth. These platforms cater to a diverse population in both urban and semi-urban areas. It was reported in September 2023 that ULLU has over 2.1 million paying subscribers and was next in line to go public through SME IPO in 2024. Although such platforms are not as significant as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, they have established a market by providing explicit and regional content to viewers who subscribe to it by choice. Experts are questioning the fairness and proportionality of the government’s decision to prohibit them entirely, rather than merely specific categories of content.