I&B Ministry forms task force to combat rising piracy threat
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has established a task force to combat piracy, which causes an estimated $2.5 billion in annual revenue losses to the media and entertainment industry. This initiative reflects the government's intent to address film leaks promptly. CII is partnering with the ministry to launch anti-piracy challenges and strengthen anti-piracy strategies.
TIL Creatives Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has set up a task force to combat piracy, which is estimated to cause an annual revenue loss of $2.5 billion to the media and entertainment business, a top industry executive said.MIB secretary Sanjay Jaju informed senior members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) about the setting up of the task force during a meeting on Monday, said Gaurav Banerjee, the recently appointed chairman of CII's National Council on Media and Entertainment."I think it's really urgent and important to tackle piracy. We have also heard from the government that they've set up a task force," said Banerjee, who attended Monday's meeting. "Therefore, there is real intent to ensure that any film that breaks out and gets leaked is brought down urgently and immediately within the first day of the leak," he told ET.According to The Rob Report released by EY and the Internet and Mobile Association of India in 2024, India's piracy economy was valued at ₹22,400 crore in 2023, ranking fourth among the segment-wise revenues of the country's media and entertainment sector.
The MIB has been working with industry bodies such as the CII on anti-piracy measures. Ahead of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, the CII partnered with the ministry to launch an anti-piracy challenge. In its now-defunct Broadcasting Bill, the MIB had proposed a dedicated task force to address piracy.
Recently, minister of state for information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs L Murugan informed the Rajya Sabha that an inter-ministerial committee had been formed to strengthen anti-piracy strategies and develop coordinated action plans.Banerjee outlined two key priorities in his role as chairman of CII's M&E council. The first is to work with the government to create the right framework for scaling up the sector, given its importance to the country's social fabric. The second is to prepare the industry for the impact of artificial intelligence, which he described as highly productive but also requiring safeguards for talent, livelihoods and consumer interests.Banerjee called for a balanced regulatory regime across television and OTT platforms to support the storytelling capabilities of the creative industry, which he said can deliver both economic and cultural value domestically and globally.He stressed on the importance of skilling talent through institutes of creative excellence, such as the recently launched Indian Institute of Creative Technologies. While the M&E industry currently contributes less than 1% to India's GDP, he said there is no reason this share cannot grow through public-private partnerships."So, the big movement in this country will come from a combination of streaming, television, and cinema. I think we have a lot of headroom for growth, along with opportunities in emerging areas such as gaming, where a large user base already exists," he said.
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