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JioStar removes 36 IPTV apps from Google Play and App Store
Apps with 26.11 million downloads taken down during T20 World Cup, 141 piracy sites suspended.
MUMBAI: JioStar just sent 36 piracy apps to the bench because when live cricket is on the line, even the app stores have to play by the rules. JioStar has secured the removal of 36 popular IPTV applications from Google Play and the iOS App Store during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, disrupting a piracy ecosystem that had collectively amassed over 26.11 million global downloads.
The takedown includes widely used players such as XCIPTV, Televizo, IPTV Smarters Pro, VU IPTV Player and XTV Ultra IPTV Media Player platforms frequently exploited to access unauthorised streams of premium cricket content, including live T20 World Cup matches.
The action forms part of a broader enforcement drive. Under a dynamic injunction from the Delhi High Court, JioStar suspended 141 piracy websites globally during the tournament (disrupting an estimated 12.2 million instances of infringing traffic) and blocked a further 279 unauthorised streaming sites (with over 2 million combined visits) at the ISP level.
Industry voices describe the move as a shift from reactive link-blocking to ecosystem-level disruption. “Taking down individual streaming URLs is like plugging leaks in a dam,” said a senior media distribution executive. “Removing high-download IPTV apps from official app stores strikes at the access point used by millions.”
The takedowns target apps that, while often marketed as neutral tools, enable easy loading of infringing playlists and backend streams. By cutting availability on mainstream marketplaces, JioStar aims to curb casual piracy particularly among users who rely on simple app downloads rather than obscure web links.
The enforcement coincides with peak viewership for live cricket events, where piracy syndicates aggressively monetise illegal feeds through ads, subscriptions or bundled IPTV services. Redirecting audiences to official platforms like JioHotstar remains a core objective.
With app stores emerging as a critical enforcement frontier, this sweep signals growing cooperation between rights holders and tech intermediaries during high-stakes tournaments. In a digital arena where billions of eyeballs tune in for every boundary, JioStar isn’t just blocking streams, it’s rewriting the rules of the piracy playbook, one app store takedown at a time.
