Cut, Censored, Controlled: Jio's Takeover of OTT
Freedom to Watch What?
If you have become entrapped by the numerous OTT platforms just because they play that one series you really want to stream, then you are really not alone.
With the vast number of options, OTT content has been thriving. Almost all these platforms have a distinct type. Every streaming platform has a distinct brand. You wouldn’t find Severance on Netflix—it’s way too subtle for the dramatic tu-dum.
Platforms buy the rights to stream a show based on the audience they cater to. So imagine the surprise when a streaming platform like Disney Hotstar with prominent shows like Euphoria, The White Lotus and similar HBO shows, merged with Jio Cinema.
I was on the wrong side of the comedy debate for a while simply because I never thought that freedom of speech was actually under threat. I really thought it was just a slow day for news, and in a matter of hours, I would get snippets of another panel on IGL. Well, I was so wrong. I can’t believe that I might have to side with the same people who I deemed to be idiots.
Regardless, it isn’t just our politically influential people who are curbing content; it is all people with insane power. Movie censorship isn’t new, and India has always used its power to cut scenes it deems inappropriate. However, OTT shows used to easily escape the scrutiny of the Certification Board. However, the JIO merger changed that completely. With this merger the company now has control of approximately 85% of the streaming market. Why is it a problem?
Take the show, The White Lotus. The first two seasons are so popular because of how artistically scandal is portrayed in the story. It has murder, drama, sex and drugs. It is rich people getting wild and dirty in a pristine hotel. But in the latest season, Indians might not be streaming the shows in its entirety. Jio has taken it upon themselves to cleanse the content on Hotstar.
There have been fewer instances of censorship on online platforms than in films. One of the most notable scenes to be removed for a streaming platform was Last Week Tonight With John Olver’s segment about the Indian Elections.
Our freedom of speech includes the freedom to comment and criticize. But by completely removing the content in the first place, both the freedoms are being taken away. How can I say something is bad if you remove the traces of it completely? How do we laugh at rich people suffering in a fancy people if you cut scenes of them cursing? How do we nod to valid commentary on our elections if you feel so threatened?
An insider of the company reported to Mid-day saying, “We’ll have to exercise caution before making modifications. The content must be in accordance with local sensibilities. At the same time, the platform can’t alienate key international partners.”
In our laws too, we base obscenity on societal sensibilities, and more than once we have seen in our cases that there never really is any sensibility. There is never a consensus and so with which audience in mind is Jio deciding what should be censored?
Imagine if content like Gangs Of Wasseypur make there way into the JIO bubble of purity. Oh wait, it already is, I think we can now expect the movie to have a run time of 10 minutes.
It was already quite clear that the IGL case would be used to step up the Broadcasting Bill but will the monopolisation of the Streaming Market by Ambani lead to the government finally gaining control on OTT content and its censorship?
