After 2024 advisory, MIB reiterates anti-drug messaging push on OTT platforms

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has re-iterated its push for anti-drug messaging to over-the-top (OTT) platforms, advising publishers of online curated content to display a prominent warning whenever scenes depicting the consumption or use of narcotic drugs are shown.

In an advisory dated August 24, the ministry said OTT platforms should display the warning — “Illicit Narcotics Destroy Health and Guarantees Imprisonment. Say No to Drugs” — in a clear, legible and prominent manner during scenes depicting drug consumption. The warning should be displayed in a font, colour and size that is easily readable and remain on screen for a sufficient duration to ensure effective communication.

The advisory comes days after the ministry issued a separate direction to private satellite television channels to carry an anti-drug disclaimer during their programming. 

Read earlier e4m report on anti-drug messaging

The two interventions underline the government's broader attempt to use both linear television and digital entertainment platforms as vehicles for public-health messaging on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

OTT platforms asked to put warning on screen

The August 24 advisory is specifically addressed to publishers of online curated content and builds on the regulatory framework applicable to OTT platforms under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The ministry said drug abuse poses a serious public-health threat, particularly to young people, and has wider social, economic and behavioural consequences. Given the popularity of OTT services as an entertainment medium, platforms have an important role to play in creating awareness around the harmful effects of drug abuse, it said.

The ministry has also drawn attention to the Code of Ethics for OTT publishers under the IT Rules. The Code states that publishers should not transmit, publish or exhibit content prohibited under prevailing law or by a court of competent jurisdiction. Part II of the Schedule to the Code of Ethics also contains guidelines relating to the display of psychotropic substances in OTT content.

Importantly, the latest direction does not ask platforms to remove scenes involving drugs. Instead, it seeks to ensure that when such scenes are shown, viewers are simultaneously confronted with an explicit warning about the consequences of drug abuse.

Builds on November 2024 OTT advisory

The August 24 direction is not the ministry's first intervention concerning the depiction of narcotics on streaming platforms.

In an earlier advisory issued on November 26, 2024, MIB had asked OTT platforms to exercise due diligence while depicting narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. 

Platforms were advised to ensure adherence to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, besides following appropriate content classification, warnings and disclaimers for programmes containing depictions of drug use.

The ministry had also advised OTT platforms to consider incorporating public-health messages and disclaimers to educate viewers about the dangers of drug abuse.

The latest advisory therefore takes that recommendation a step further by prescribing a specific warning to be displayed during scenes depicting consumption or use of narcotic drugs.

TV channels brought into the anti-drug messaging framework

The OTT directive follows closely on the heels of MIB's August 20 advisory to private satellite television channels.

Under that direction, television broadcasters have been asked to display the same anti-drug message — “Illicit Narcotics Destroy Health and Guarantees Imprisonment. Say No to Drugs” — prominently during programming. The advisory covers programmes including general entertainment and non-news content, according to industry reports.

Unlike the OTT advisory, which specifically links the warning to scenes depicting drug consumption, the television direction takes a broader programming approach. Broadcasters have been given flexibility on the appropriate intervals and implementation, while being asked to ensure that the message is prominent, legible and visible for sufficient time.

This marks a significant expansion in the government's approach: from asking digital platforms to exercise caution over how narcotics are depicted to actively requiring both digital and linear entertainment platforms to carry an anti-drug public-awareness message.

Government increasingly using media for public-health messaging

The twin advisories reflect a broader regulatory approach in which the government is seeking to use the reach of entertainment media to reinforce public-interest messaging.

The ministry's latest OTT advisory says narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and other intoxicants have adverse consequences beyond individual health, including social, economic and behavioural effects. It particularly highlights the potential impact on young persons.

OTT platforms have become a significant part of India's entertainment ecosystem, while television continues to have extensive reach across households. By extending the anti-drug warning framework to both mediums, MIB is effectively creating a common public-awareness message across India's major video entertainment platforms.

The move also comes against a backdrop of increasing government scrutiny of content available on digital platforms. The ministry has previously used advisories and the IT Rules framework to address concerns around content that could potentially glamorise or normalise harmful behaviour.

Compliance applies to new content released from August 24

The ministry has asked OTT platforms to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance for content published or released on their platforms on or after August 24, 2026, the date of the advisory.

This gives the direction an immediate operational implication for streaming platforms. Content and compliance teams will need to identify scenes involving consumption or use of narcotic drugs and ensure that the prescribed warning is appropriately displayed.

The advisory, however, leaves the precise execution parameters to platforms. It specifies that the warning must be easily readable and remain visible for a sufficient duration, but does not prescribe a specific number of seconds, screen position or technical format.

That could leave room for platforms to determine how the disclaimer is integrated into different formats and viewing environments, including mobile screens, connected TVs and other streaming devices.

From regulation of portrayal to mandatory messaging

The significance of the latest move lies in this shift in regulatory philosophy.

The government's earlier focus was largely on how narcotics were portrayed — ensuring that content did not violate existing laws and encouraging platforms to avoid problematic depictions. 

The new advisory places greater emphasis on affirmative public-health messaging.

In effect, MIB is asking OTT platforms not merely to exercise caution when depicting drug use but to use those moments as an opportunity to communicate the risks associated with such behaviour.

The move also creates a closer parallel between television and OTT regulation. Television broadcasters must now carry an anti-drug message across their programming, while OTT platforms must display the prescribed warning during scenes depicting drug consumption.

Taken together with the August 20 television advisory, the latest move signals a more coordinated MIB effort to make anti-drug messaging a visible component of India's audiovisual entertainment ecosystem — spanning both traditional television and streaming platforms.