The Indian government has directed messaging platform Telegram to disable access to over 3,000 channels distributing pirated movies, web series, and audiobooks within three hours.
The Union ministry of information and broadcasting invoked intermediary liability provisions under the Information Technology Act and cited complaints from content owners, OTT platforms, and civil society about the pirated content.
The government has listed dozens of Telegram channels distributing pirated content, including movies and web series currently on OTT platforms like Amazon Prime and Jio Hotstar, as well as audiobook piracy networks.
India accounted for 8.12% of global piracy traffic in 2024, making it the second-largest source of piracy traffic after the United States.
