Four Bangladeshi television channels have had their YouTube broadcasts blocked in India, prompting Bangladesh to seek an official explanation from the video-sharing platform. The affected channels are Jamuna TV, Ekattor TV, Banglavision, and Mohona TV. This action was taken by YouTube following a request from the Indian government, citing national security concerns.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, stated that Bangladesh would demand a clear explanation from YouTube regarding the blocking of these channels. He warned of potential countermeasures if a satisfactory explanation is not provided.
The news of the broadcast block was first reported on Friday by Dismislab, a fact-checking initiative by the research organization Digitally Right. According to Dismislab's report, Indian viewers are unable to access the YouTube channels of Jamuna TV, Ekattor TV, Banglavision, and Mohona TV. Attempts to access these channels from India display a message stating, ‘This content is not available in this country due to a government order related to national security or public order.’
Dismislab published its report at 8 PM on Friday, confirming that the channels remained inaccessible at that time. Jamuna TV reportedly informed Dismislab that they had received an official notice from YouTube regarding the block.
Dismislab’s investigation involved verifying 38 listed Bangladeshi news and media channels on YouTube’s official site from an Indian location using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). They confirmed that Jamuna TV, Ekattor TV, Banglavision, and Mohona TV were inaccessible, displaying the government order message related to national security or public order. Dismislab also confirmed the inaccessibility of these four channels by contacting local journalists in India.
YouTube operates under India’s ‘Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules’ law. Under this framework, the Indian government can issue directives to block content and channels if it deems them a threat to national security, sovereignty, or public order.
Separately, the report noted that on May 6, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor,’ attacking Pakistan in response to the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, to which Pakistan retaliated.
Commenting on the blocking of Bangladeshi YouTube channels, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, in a Friday Facebook post, termed it ‘contrary to international consumer rights practices.’ He wrote, ‘YouTube India has geo-blocked at least four Bangladeshi TV stations. By blocking Bangladesh as a geographical location for broadcast media, the rights of Bangladeshi citizens residing in India who regularly watch these channels are being infringed. Such an act appears to be against international consumer rights practices.’
He further added, ‘We will seek an explanation from YouTube. If a clear explanation is not received, we will be compelled to take reciprocal action.’
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