Journal of African Development

OTT Platforms have become an important way of entertainment and information all over the world, and these platforms offer a range of material and make content recommendations based on prior interactions with the site using artificial intelligence. Most entirely ‘for-profit’ platforms offer part of their material for free while also charging a monthly membership price for exclusive premium content. Censorship on OTT platforms is a matter of debate as, in India, the market of OTT market has been growing rapidly over the last few years. Although censorship on OTT platforms was introduced in India in 2021, it suffers from several shortcomings. Due to the contents like vulgarity, sex, drugs, nudity, abusive language, etc, the need for improvised censorship are being suggested. India doesn’t have an independent regulatory body for the censorship of OTT platforms. The self-regulation on the OTT platforms needs to be readdressed which includes self-classification based on content and age, parental locks, rating display, etc. Under the present system, a major part of OTT content goes undetected by the gatekeepers and impacts the audience. The content disclaimer doesn’t serve the purpose because, looking at a piece of information about the genres or content, the audience will be attracted to watch the web series, movies, and documentaries on OTT platforms. The study deals with the criteria and scope of censorship of OTT platforms in other countries like Singapore, Australia, the USA, etc, and on the basis, suggests the necessary amendments in the censorship rules in India for the future.