Films and shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime may soon sport the cuts, blurred images, and beeps that characterise the TV viewing experience in India.
After an NGO, Justice for Rights Foundation, filed a petition complaining of “unregulated, uncertified, sexually explicit, vulgar, profane, and legally restricted content” on so-called Over The Top – or OTT – platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar, the Delhi high court sought the government’s response on prevailing guidelines and licensing policies on the regulation of content on them.
The bench of Chief Justice of Delhi high court Rajendra Menon and justice V Kameswar Rao did not issue a formal notice, though, but asked the central government to respond within four weeks.
The petitioner’s lawyer, HS Hora, claimed that in response to an application under the Right to Information Act, the government had admitted that there was no policy on regulating online content.
The petition singles out Sacred Games, Game of Thrones, Vikings, and Spartacus as examples of the kind of content it wants regulated.
The matter will next be heard on February 8, 2019.