You could call it a fresh row between the two. JioStar is alleging that Zee has put on 12 of its movies some 20 times or so. The court has put down May 25 for Zee to show up; should any attempt at mediation come to naught, they’ll be seeing each other in a courtroom.
It’s not just about who can say they won. This is the top dog in Indian media going up against one of the country’s most established broadcasters, and the rest of the industry is taking note. There are already other legal tangles between them that have been a drain on time, cash and good will.
What JioStar says happened
In a 120-page filing, JioStar doesn’t mince words, calling Zee a "habitual infringer” for what it claims is the repeated poaching of film rights. According to the paperwork, even though the rights were with the Reliance outfit last year, Zee went ahead and telecast 12 separate titles.
Some of the names in the complaint are big ones. You have Deewaar, the 1975 hit, and Tridev. Then there is Aamir Khan’s Dangal. The documents also make mention of films with the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir in them.
All of this comes in the wake of the $8.5 billion tie-up in 2024 that saw Reliance and Disney put their Indian operations under one roof to form JioStar. That’s the company’s line on why the rights were theirs when these airings took place.
The money angle
We’re told by people in the know that JioStar is after something in the region of 250 million rupees ($2.61 million) for the trouble, though no figure is in stone yet. It’s only made it to the committee after a back-and-forth of more than a dozen legal notices since February.
How Zee defends itself
Zee, for its part, has put out that any of the shows in question were “inadvertent and unintentional” and that it will be more careful. It won’t have any of the damages JioStar is asking for. As for Dangal, Zee maintains it had the go-ahead from the studio.
But then again, Zee has been on the offensive too. Back in April, it was in a Delhi court with a suit of its own, claiming JioStar had used its music at least 50 times after the license lapsed. Zee wants $3 million for that.
Why this fight matters now
This isn’t a one-off. They are in the middle of a $1 billion arbitration in London over a cricket deal that fell through in 2024. When you add it all up, we are talking hundreds of millions of dollars on the table.
The timing is no accident. In a $30 billion market, JioStar has the No. 1 spot, with Mukesh Ambani in its corner. Zee is the smaller, but well-regarded, competitor with an audience that is hard to move.
For the viewer, it’s a prime-time game of chicken over who is allowed to put on what. For the ad buyer, it’s a case of rethinking your strategy as content rights become a bit of a minefield.
Key milestones so far
For readers tracking the case, here are key milestones so far:
– April: Zee sued JioStar over music use, seeking $3 million
– May 4: JioStar moved a case to the mediation committee
– May 25: Zee has been asked to appear before the committee
What comes next
The court has asked for Zee to be in the room on May 25. The documents make it plain: if they don’t, it will be seen as a flat-out no to mediation.
From there, JioStar can make its move in open court. Neither side has deigned to comment on the filings, which is usually a hint that this is a job for the bench, not the press.
Can they be practical and make a deal? With so many rights and contracts in a knot, one resolution might pave the way for another. But for the moment, the remotes are put away and the lawyers have taken over.
