Star moves court against 1xbet for illegally streaming ICC Champions Trophy

Star India Private Limited, which runs TV channels and the online streaming platform JioHotstar (formerly Hotstar), has filed a complaint against online betting platform 1xbet for illegally streaming ICC Champions Trophy matches without any permission or licence from Star India. 

It is also observed that 1xbet charges viewers to watch the matches, profiting from content they don’t own. The site is accessible via Android devices and lets users create an account by paying a fee to watch the games.

An FIR under the various sections of IT Act  has been registered against 1xbet by Bangalore cyber police for streaming ICC championships trophy matches without any authorisation.

Star India claims that the website owners are fully aware they are committing an illegal act. By streaming the matches without authorization, they are infringing on Star India’s copyright and broadcast rights, violating laws under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Indian Penal Code replacement) and the Information Technology Act, 2000. 

“The owners and operators of 1xbet are fully conscious that they are hosting illegal content and are acting contrary to and in violation of law for personal gain. This is being done by them with intention of causing wrongful gain to themselves and with Intent to defraud the company,” stated the police report. 

The online betting platform will face legal consequences for theft since TV signals and data are legally considered property, taking and using them without permission is theft under Section 303 and cheating under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Further, The website operators are also violating IT laws by illegally accessing, downloading, and displaying Star India's content, punishable under Section 66 and Section 43 of the IT Act. Additional charges under Sections 66B and 66D apply because they falsely present the content as their own.

Star India has requested authorities to register a complaint against the website owners and any associated parties involved in hosting, funding, or operating the illegal platform. Additionally, to take down or block the website to prevent further unauthorized streaming of their content has been requested.

Star India Private Limited legally obtained licenses from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to carry out broadcasting services and are the sole rights holders for content aired on their channels and digital platforms.

For the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Star India secured exclusive rights from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to stream and broadcast the matches through their pay channels and JioHotstar platform.

This is not the first time when a betting website has been found illegally streaming live cricket matches. In the past, Star has initiated such actions against websites such as magicwin.games and ekbet.com.