Complete Overview: Desi M M S Background and Future Outlook
By James H. Sterling
Between 2017 and 2020, streaming platforms across India experienced explosive growth. Subscription video-on-demand services multiplied following the rollout of affordable mobile data nationwide. Free from the strict theatrical oversight of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), local streaming apps like ALTT capitalized on pulpy erotic horror. Spin-offs such as Ragini MMS: Returns relied on sensationalist marketing to secure high numbers of downloads and immediate subscriber growth.
That freewheeling era hit a wall in 2021 with the introduction of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules.
Under these updated guidelines, streaming services had to establish three-tier grievance redressal systems, classify content into clear age brackets (U, U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A), and implement reliable age verification for adult titles. Subsequent regulatory interventions by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting between 2023 and 2025 specifically targeted digital networks publishing content deemed obscene or denigrating.
The impact was swift:
- Mainstream SVOD services rapidly shuttered their low-budget, late-night erotic thrillers.
- Franchise budgets pivoted toward psychological horror, folklore-driven stories, and prestige supernatural mystery titles.
- Production studios refocused investments into high-concept productions like Stree and Bhediya, leaving unpolished web shockers behind.
The legal clampdown effectively dissolved the formula that made early Indian video horror so commercially dominant.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
