(Image source from: Instagram.com/tamannaahspeaks)

Indian actress Tamannaah Bhatia has received a summons from the Maharashtra Cyber Wing for her involvement in the unauthorized streaming of IPL 2023 matches on the FairPlay app. This app is associated with the Mahadev betting app and violates the broadcast rights of the Viacom 18 group. Tamannaah, known for her role in the movie 'Baahubali', has been called to appear before the Cyber Cell as a witness on April 29. The cyber police are investigating the case and have also questioned actor Sanjay Dutt, who is believed to be connected to the matter. Due to his busy schedule, Sanjay Dutt requested a new date for questioning. The illegal streaming of the matches has caused Viacom a significant financial loss. Prior to Tamannaah, singer Badshah and the managers of actors Sanjay Dutt and Jacqueline Fernandez were also interrogated for their involvement in promoting the betting app and encouraging viewers to use it to watch the cricket matches.

In 2023, Viacom 18 group filed a complaint stating that certain IPL 2023 matches were unlawfully live-streamed on Fairplay, alongside the endorsement and promotion of a gambling application by multiple actors. Viacom18 is the owner of various television channels and the OTT platform, VOOT. In October 2021, their anti-piracy team discovered that seven apps—Pikashow, Foxi, Vedu, Smart Player Lite, Film Plus, Tea TV, and Wow TV—were illegally broadcasting serials, reality shows, and other content from Viacom 18 without obtaining legal rights. The case was filed against these apps, alleging that they were profiting from Viacom 18's content without permission, resulting in a loss of over ₹100 crore for the company.