Zee Entertainment has asked the Delhi High Court to initiate contempt proceedings against JioStar, the Reliance-Disney joint venture, alleging continued use of Zee's copyrighted music despite a standing injunction. The petition, filed on September 21, 2026, marks a sharp escalation in a dispute that has simmered since April.
The case began in April 2026, when Zee sued JioStar seeking $3 million in damages over roughly 50 alleged copyright violations involving content from its music division. In May, the Delhi High Court granted an injunction ordering JioStar to stop using, publishing, broadcasting, streaming or uploading any of Zee's licensed works.
Zee says that order was ignored. The company has documented six separate instances of alleged continued infringement between May and July, which it now describes in its contempt filing as "wilful disobedience" and "illegal and active exploitation" of its copyrighted material.
JioStar has pushed back on the characterization. Its lawyers have previously called the alleged violations "unintentional" and "purely residual in nature," arguing the company had already removed the bulk of Zee's content once the underlying licensing agreements expired. JioStar declined to comment on the latest allegations. The court heard the matter on September 26 and has asked JioStar to respond, with the next hearing set for December 2026.
The stakes go beyond a single injunction. JioStar, formed through an $8.5 billion merger of Reliance and Disney's Indian media assets in 2024, commands roughly 34.2% of India's television market and hundreds of millions of streaming users. Zee, one of India's oldest broadcasters, holds close to 18% television market share and owns a music library of more than 19,450 songs.
This is not the only front between the two companies. They are also contesting Bollywood film broadcast rights and remain locked in a separate, unresolved London arbitration over a cricket broadcasting deal that Reliance values at $1 billion.
As India's media and streaming landscape consolidates around a handful of dominant players, content and music rights are becoming a central battleground, making disputes like this one increasingly consequential for how broadcasters position themselves across television, streaming and digital platforms.
