The UK has announced enhanced regulation for streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video to ensure compliance with standards applicable to traditional broadcasters.
In a significant move, the UK media regulator, Ofcom, has announced that popular streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, and Disney+ will face enhanced regulatory measures similar to those traditionally imposed on broadcasters like the BBC and ITV. This shift aims to ensure that these platforms adhere to important regulations concerning accurate and impartial news reporting, while also enforcing standards to protect viewers from harmful and offensive content. Public service video-on-demand platforms, including ITVX and Channel 4, will also be subjected to these new regulations.
Under this regulatory framework, Ofcom will be empowered to accept complaints from viewers, investigate allegations related to content standards, and enforce penalties, which may include fines of up to £250,000 or 5% of the revenue generated by a service in the UK for each identified breach. This rigorous scrutiny is intended to safeguard audience interests and create an equitable landscape within the media industry by holding streaming giants accountable to the same standards that govern their traditional counterparts.
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, emphasized that these regulatory changes are designed not only to strengthen protections for audiences but also to support the vibrant media sector within the UK. By establishing regulatory parity between broadcasting and streaming services, the aim is to ensure that all platforms contribute responsibly to the media landscape, maintaining the integrity of the information that audiences consume in a rapidly evolving digital environment.
