iWorld
Hungama Play expands its library with blockbuster TV shows from BBC Studios
MUMBAI: Hungama Play, a premium video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, has premiered a slate of critically acclaimed TV shows from BBC Studios. Available as a result of a long-standing partnership with BBC Studios, these shows include BAFTA winner – Happy Valley, cult comedy – Yes, Prime Minister, Golden Globe winner – Top of the Lake, Emmy nominated – Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond and Almost Royal.
Hungama will leverage its distribution strengths to give the shows a wide release. Besides Hungama Play, the shows will be available to stream through Hungama Play on Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV, Airtel TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Tata Sky Binge, SHAREit and Android TVs. Additionally, Hungama’s strategic association with Xiaomi will also enable users to watch the shows via Hungama Play on Mi TV.
Speaking about the new BBC content, Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media, said, “Hungama Play offers a diverse, multi-lingual and multi-genre library of content. Our partnership with BBC has helped us strengthen our library further by adding award-winning and critically acclaimed TV shows to our content offerings. We are certain that the new shows will offer our audiences a chance to explore content that is enriching, distinct and unique.”
Stanley Fernandes, Sales Director, South Asia at BBC Studios said, “BBC’s content is well-appreciated by viewers and critics alike, around the world. Our shows are known to be path-breaking and driven by strong stories and characters. We are glad to premiere five of our most-watched shows on Hungama Play. We are certain that Hungama Play’s strong distribution network will make the content available to the viewers readily and easily.”
New shows, now available on Hungama Play include:
Happy Valley
Happy Valley is a British crime drama that follows Catherine, a no-nonsense police sergeant who heads up a team of officers in a rural Yorkshire valley. Things go downhill when a staged kidnapping spirals out of control turning into a brutal series of crimes. The story follows Catherine involved in something significantly bigger than her rank, but unknowingly close to home. The BAFTA-winning series has been touted as a powerhouse of heartbreak, thrills and laughs along with a chilling narrative.
Creator: Sally Wainwright
Stars: Sarah Lancashire (BAFTA, National Television Award recipient), Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), James Norton (Black Mirror)
Top of the Lake
Top of the Lake is a powerful and haunting story from Oscar-winning writer/director Jane Campion and stars Emmy Award winning actress Elisabeth Moss in the lead role (who won a Golden Globe for her performance in this show). Obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective finds herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay.
Creators: Jane Campion, Gerard Lee
Stars: Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men), David Wenham (300: Rise of an Empire, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Lord of the Rings), Peter Mullan (Ozark, Braveheart), Holly Hunter (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Big Sick)
Yes, Prime Minister
A revival of classic 1980s comedy ‘Yes, Minister’, ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ deals with much complex situations of current times. The ultimately powerful but beleaguered Prime Minister is once again 'assisted' by his impenetrably loquacious Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, and torn but sensible Principal Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley. As in their previous roles, their jobs often devolve into a battle of agendas, ideals, wills, and wits.
Creators: Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn
Stars: David Haig (Killing Eve, Downton Abbey), Henry Goodman (Notting Hill), Chris Larkin
Almost Royal
BBC America’s first original comedy series Almost Royal follows the lives of two ignorant British aristocrats visiting America for the first time. The faux-reality series shows its protagonist interacting with real-life, unsuspecting everyday Americans.
Directors: Chris Faith, Marcus Liversedge
Stars: Ed Gamble, Amy Hoggart
Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond
Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond that chronicles the adventurous military career of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The fictionalized biography dwells on various aspects of Fleming’s Royal Navy espionage and romantic adventures. The action drama features Dominic Cooper in the titular role and is directed by Mat Whitecross.
Director: Mat Whitecross
Stars: Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger, My Week with Marilyn), Lara Pulver, Samuel West
The shows join Hungama Play’s extensive library of over 5000 films in English, Hindi and regional languages, over 1500 short films, 7500+ hours of kids and TV content in various languages and more than 150,000 short-format videos across genres like music, films, humour etc.
iWorld
JioStar-backed crackdown busts illegal IPTV network, three arrested
Police seize Rs 20 lakh, expose piracy ring streaming IPL and OTT content
MUMBAI: A coordinated anti-piracy operation backed by JioStar India Private Limited has led to the arrest of three individuals linked to an organised illegal IPTV network streaming premium television and sports content, including matches from the TATA IPL 2026.
The crackdown was carried out by the Cyber Crime Police Firozabad, which uncovered a piracy syndicate operating under the name “BOS IPTV”. The accused were apprehended across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, signalling the multi-state footprint of the operation.
Investigators found that the network had built a user base of over 900 subscribers, distributing unauthorised streams of copyrighted content through digital platforms, including messaging apps. Authorities also traced structured financial transactions linked to the operation, with payments routed via QR codes, bank accounts and other digital methods.
As part of the enforcement action, law enforcement agencies seized several electronic devices and financial records. Around Rs 20 lakh connected to the accused has been frozen, highlighting the commercial scale of the piracy network.
The case follows an earlier crackdown on a large illegal IPTV operation and marks an expansion of efforts to dismantle connected nodes within the piracy ecosystem. Officials indicated that investigations are ongoing, with more links in the network under scrutiny.
The complaint, supported by JioStar India Private Limited, has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Copyright Act.
The development underscores growing collaboration between content owners and law enforcement agencies as India intensifies its fight against digital piracy. With high-value properties like the IPL in focus, the message is clear: the stream may be illegal, but the crackdown is very real.
