Indian streaming platforms report 848 grievances in September; Prime Video’s figures show discrepancy

Eight streaming services in India reported receiving 848 grievances in September 2026, with Amazon Prime Video accounting for nearly 68% of them. However, Prime Video’s disclosure shows a discrepancy between the number of grievances it resolved and those it classified.

The figures come from monthly grievance reports published under Rule 18(3) of India’s Information Technology Rules, 2021. The platforms report these figures themselves, and neither the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting nor a self-regulatory body has independently audited them.

Prime Video received the highest number of grievances at 578, followed by Sun NXT with 92, SonyLIV with 79, Netflix with 43 and Apple with 40. ShemarooMe reported 10 grievances, JioHotstar six and ETV Win none. Apple’s report does not specify whether its figures cover only Apple TV+.

The total covers only eight streaming services. As of October 29, hoichoi and aha had not published their September reports. Their latest available figures were for August and April, respectively. ETV Bharat, which reported nine grievances in September, was excluded because it is a news publisher rather than a streaming service.

Prime Video’s report leaves four grievances unaccounted for in its classifications

Prime Video reported 48 pending grievances at the beginning of September and 578 new complaints during the month. It disposed of 586 grievances, leaving 40 pending at the end.

Although these figures reconcile, the platform classified only 582 of the 586 disposals. Of these, 576 were unrelated to the Code of Ethics, while six concerned the Code. Prime Video agreed with three of those six grievances.

The report does not explain why four disposals were left unclassified. It also records four orders or advisories received and complied with, without identifying the authorities that issued them.

Different reporting formats limit comparisons

The platforms use different reporting formats, making it difficult to compare how they handle complaints.

Netflix classified six of its 38 disposed grievances as related to the Code of Ethics and agreed with one. SonyLIV reported receiving and disposing of 79 grievances, all classified as unrelated to the Code.

JioHotstar reported six new grievances, five disposals and three pending at the end of September. These figures imply that two grievances were pending at the start of the month, although the platform did not disclose an opening balance. It also reported no appeals to its self-regulatory body and no orders from that body.

ShemarooMe’s report does not clarify whether its Code of Ethics figures refer to grievances received or disposed of. Sun NXT uses a self-regulatory-body reporting format, while ETV Win uses a news-publisher format that lacks the same disposal and classification details.

The disclosures also contain other inconsistencies. SonyLIV’s September figures exactly match those in its January 2026 report, with 79 grievances received and disposed of in both months. This similarity does not, by itself, establish an error.

Meanwhile, aha’s latest available report, covering April, recorded no grievances received or disposed of but classified 123 as unrelated to the Code of Ethics. The report does not explain this difference.

These gaps make it difficult to assess grievance-handling performance across platforms. The reports also do not establish whether complaints were justified or whether users were satisfied with their resolution. Moreover, grievances disposed of during September may have been received in earlier months.

Rules 9(1) and 9(3) of the IT Rules, which require publishers to observe the Code of Ethics, remain under an interim judicial stay. Rule 9(2) was not stayed.

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