JioStar sues Zee over alleged unauthorized broadcasts of Bollywood films

JioStar has moved against Zee Entertainment in a fight that reaches far beyond a handful of film broadcasts. The Reliance and Walt Disney venture accused its smaller rival of telecasting 12 Bollywood films about 20 times without authorization, turning a licensing dispute into a direct contest over who commands premium entertainment in India’s crowded media market.

The complaint, filed on May 4 with a legal mediation committee linked to the Delhi High Court system, ran about 120 pages and named films featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. In the plea, JioStar described Zee as a “habitual infringer.” The mediation committee has asked Zee to appear on May 25, and the dispute could move into court if the sides do not settle.

The case adds another front to an already bitter rivalry between two companies fighting for leverage in India’s roughly $30 billion media and entertainment industry. JioStar, backed by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Walt Disney, is the No. 1 player in the market. Zee is older and smaller, but still powerful enough to challenge the industry leader on copyright, distribution and audience reach.

The timing is especially pointed because Zee sued JioStar in April over alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted music. That move followed a broader pattern of legal escalation between the two media groups, with each side accusing the other of crossing the line on protected content. Zee has said some of the film broadcasts were accidental, but JioStar’s filing suggests it sees the matter as a deliberate attempt to extract value from rights it says it controls.

The stakes are not limited to old film libraries. JioStar and Zee are also locked in a separate London arbitration over a collapsed 2024 cricket licensing deal, with JioStar’s damages claim reported at more than $1 billion. Taken together, the disputes show how premium content has become the real battleground in India’s fast-consolidating television and streaming economy. Film rights, music rights and cricket rights are now the tools that shape audience share, subscription power and advertising leverage, and the Reliance-Disney tie-up has only sharpened the competition for control.