New Delhi: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has welcomed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MIB) move to establish a dedicated task force to combat online piracy, calling it a timely intervention to safeguard India’s fast-growing creative economy.
The task force will bring sharper focus to the enforcement of anti-piracy measures, a need underscored by the Cinematograph Amendment Act 2023, which introduced stricter penalties for illegal digital distribution and empowered authorities to act against unlawful recordings and transmissions.
Further urgency was highlighted in The Rob Report—a 2024 study by EY and IAMAI—which estimated that India’s entertainment industry loses ₹224 billion annually to piracy, with more than half of media consumers accessing pirated content. The report urged stronger enforcement, fairer pricing models, and innovative distribution channels to expand the reach of legal content.
Welcoming the government’s announcement, Kiran Mani, CEO of JioStar and Chair of IAMAI’s Digital Entertainment Committee (DEC), said:
“IAMAI’s participation in this task force would ensure that industry expertise is directly channelled into decisive measures that safeguard our creative economy and fuel long-term growth. By bringing together the collective experience of the entertainment ecosystem, we can help shape solutions that protect India’s creative economy and drive its long-term growth.”
Echoing the sentiment, Deepit Purkayastha, Co-founder and CEO of Inshorts and Co-Chair of DEC, noted that piracy remains one of the industry’s most pressing challenges.
“This task force is a chance for us to work hand in hand with the government and the wider ecosystem to find solutions that really work. Together, we can set the stage for a stronger and more trusted entertainment industry.”
Industry experts believe that the creation of this task force, backed by robust laws and active collaboration between stakeholders, could mark a turning point for India’s media and entertainment sector. It not only strengthens the fight against piracy but also enhances India’s credibility in global markets by fostering a safer, more reliable ecosystem for creators and audiences alike.
