Bombay HC asks TDSAT for an early hearing in Sony–Tata Play dispute
The
Bombay High Court
has asked the
Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal
(
TDSAT
) to consider hearing broadcasting petitions and related applications involving
Sony Pictures Networks India
(SPNI), legally known as Culver Max Entertainment, and
Tata Play
ahead of schedule—preferably in the first week of July 2025.
The direction came as the High Court disposed of a writ petition filed by SPNI, which sought to withdraw the matter citing the pendency of related proceedings before the TDSAT. The tribunal has currently scheduled the hearing between the two parties for July 23.
The withdrawal was made without any objection from Tata Play. The order dated June 17 was uploaded today.
During the hearing on June 17, senior counsel for SPNI also sought the court's permission to address
consumer concerns
via social media, a request to which Tata Play raised no objection.
The court permitted SPNI to publish a clarifying message stating that while the dispute is sub judice, its channels remain available on Tata Play, both on an a-la-carte basis and as part of its bouquets. Customers may contact Tata Play's customer service number to activate these channels.
Live Events
The bench, comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Dr. Neela Gokhale, clarified that all legal rights and contentions of the parties are kept open and remain unaffected by the withdrawal of the petition.
SPNI had approached the High Court to challenge a recent TDSAT directive instructing it to remove all social media posts and content—including those on X—that referenced Tata Play, either directly or indirectly.
Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, along with Sneha Jaisingh of Bharucha Partners, represented SPNI in the proceedings. Tata Play was represented by senior advocate Ravindra Kadam and counsel Rohan Kadam.
The dispute pertains to the renewal of the annual subscription agreement between SPNI, which operates 27 television channels, and Tata Play, which has around 18 million subscribers.
Following the disagreement, Tata Play started removing SPNI channels from its consumer packs following which the broadcaster started running scrolls on its channels urging viewers to switch to other operators for continued access to its channels. SPNI had sought Rs 300 crore in dues from the
DTH service provider
.
The tribunal had earlier clarified that its May 30 order should be read in conjunction with its May 27 order, which directed SPNI to remove on-screen scrolls referring to Tata Play from its channels. Tata Play, in turn, was directed to make a partial payment of Rs 40 crore towards the broadcaster's dues.
Earlier, the High Court had issued notices to both TDSAT and Tata Play, directing them to file their responses. The matter, initially scheduled for hearing on June 16, was adjourned to June 17.
In its submissions to TDSAT, Tata Play argued that SPNI's financial demand was unreasonable, stating that it had paid around Rs 4,000 crore over the past decade—including Rs 700 crore annually—and had made significant payments since SPNI's initial demand in March 2025.
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The Bombay High Court has asked the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal ( TDSAT ) to consider hearing broadcasting petitions and related applications involving Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), legally known as Culver Max Entertainment, and Tata Play ahead of schedule—preferably in the first week of July 2025. The direction came as the High Court disposed of a writ petition filed by SPNI, which sought to withdraw the matter citing the pendency of related proceedings before the TDSAT. The tribunal has currently scheduled the hearing between the two parties for July 23. The withdrawal was made without any objection from Tata Play. The order dated June 17 was uploaded today. During the hearing on June 17, senior counsel for SPNI also sought the court's permission to address consumer concerns via social media, a request to which Tata Play raised no objection. The court permitted SPNI to publish a clarifying message stating that while the dispute is sub judice, its channels remain available on Tata Play, both on an a-la-carte basis and as part of its bouquets. Customers may contact Tata Play's customer service number to activate these channels. Live Events The bench, comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Dr. Neela Gokhale, clarified that all legal rights and contentions of the parties are kept open and remain unaffected by the withdrawal of the petition. SPNI had approached the High Court to challenge a recent TDSAT directive instructing it to remove all social media posts and content—including those on X—that referenced Tata Play, either directly or indirectly. Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, along with Sneha Jaisingh of Bharucha Partners, represented SPNI in the proceedings. Tata Play was represented by senior advocate Ravindra Kadam and counsel Rohan Kadam. The dispute pertains to the renewal of the annual subscription agreement between SPNI, which operates 27 television channels, and Tata Play, which has around 18 million subscribers. Following the disagreement, Tata Play started removing SPNI channels from its consumer packs following which the broadcaster started running scrolls on its channels urging viewers to switch to other operators for continued access to its channels. SPNI had sought Rs 300 crore in dues from the DTH service provider . The tribunal had earlier clarified that its May 30 order should be read in conjunction with its May 27 order, which directed SPNI to remove on-screen scrolls referring to Tata Play from its channels. Tata Play, in turn, was directed to make a partial payment of Rs 40 crore towards the broadcaster's dues. Earlier, the High Court had issued notices to both TDSAT and Tata Play, directing them to file their responses. The matter, initially scheduled for hearing on June 16, was adjourned to June 17. In its submissions to TDSAT, Tata Play argued that SPNI's financial demand was unreasonable, stating that it had paid around Rs 4,000 crore over the past decade—including Rs 700 crore annually—and had made significant payments since SPNI's initial demand in March 2025.
