India bans streaming apps you’ve never heard of – but millions of watches

India has ordered blocking 25 streaming services to promote “indecent” content in one of the largest digital crackdowns in South Asian countries. This order has influenced a little-known, yet highly popular services like Ullu and Altt, addressing the country’s mass market appetite for adults and edgy entertainment.

This week, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an order to block access to websites and apps linked to 25 streaming services, citing provisions from the Information Technology Act of 2000 and the IT Rules of 2021.

The order comes months after the National Committee for Child Rights Protection and the Congressional Standing Committee on Information Technology raised concerns about mature content being streamed on these platforms without proper safeguards.

The Indian government contacted internet service providers and app stores, including Google Play and the Apple App Store earlier this week to limit these streaming services.

Some of these services, especially the major services with millions of subscribers, continued to perform live at the time of submitting this article.

Google and Apple did not respond to requests for comment. The Minister of Information and Broadcasting also did not respond to emails sent on Friday.

Of the 25 streaming services, 10 offered in-app purchases through apps on Google Play and the App Store, generating $5.7 million since it was launched with nearly 105 million downloads, following Appfigures data shared exclusively with TechCrunch. The broad gap between in-app purchases and downloads is primarily due to low subscription costs. This is because it is significantly lower than Netflix and other global platforms in India.

In particular, some of these streaming services were not listed in the traditional app store, or had previously been removed, or instead offered the app directly as an APK download. As has been made public, some of these APK files were still accessible through the website or third-party platforms.

Earlier this month, the parents of Indian production company Baraj Telefilms, Altt Disclosure The streaming app generated 226 million ($2.3 million) revenues by adding 1.06 million subscribers in 2025. AltT’s content has been viewed over 5.8 million hours and has earned 160 million views a year.

Altt’s apps are no longer available for download from Google Play and the App Store in India, and most Indian ISPs at the time of submission of this article were unable to access the website.

Balaji Telefilms did not respond to requests for comment regarding the ban.

Another relatively prominent streaming service appointed by the Indian government, Ullu was available via the Indian Play Store app and its website was also accessible. However, the iOS apps for the service were not available for download from the Indian app store.

Ullu Digital, the parent company of Ullu, reported net profit of £222.3 million ($2.5 million) in fiscal year 2024, according to regulatory filings reviewed by TechCrunch. The company has recorded revenue of £931.4 million ($11 million) and declared its net worth of £2.08 billion ($24 million).

Ullu Digital did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to multi-million dollar subscription revenue, these streaming services were attracting millions of global visits to their website.

Ullu, which rose nearly 10% year-on-year in traffic worldwide, reaching 1.9 million visits in June, with Altt similarly growing at over 130% at 776,400.

In India, Ullu recorded a growth of 18.9% year-on-year, reaching 1.8 million visits, while Altt saw 696,200 visits, up 157.8%.

Importantly, this is not the first time in the streaming business. I saw the crackdown In India. Global platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Netflix Censorship Face Instance By the Indian government.

However, even though regulations are not clear, indecent behavior is also seen in cases of indecency. It’s not a crime.

In 2023, then Indian Minister of Information and Broadcasting warned streaming platforms Do not provide abusive and indecent content. New Delhi is also blocked Thousands of websites stream porn content. The Supreme Court of India also pleaded to regulate sexually explicit content in April this year. Notices issued To the streaming platform and the Indian government.

However, suppressing indecent content remains a challenge for the Indian government as well. Similar to the targeted repression, smaller streaming services often reappear with new names, apps and domains. It is equally difficult for intermediaries such as Google, Apple, and internet providers to block access completely. Because these platforms spread through alternative channels and use social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube to attract audiences.