UK to Step up Regulation of Video Streaming Giants to ‘Level the Playing Field’
The UK government is planning to exert more regulatory control over streaming platforms in order to “level the playing field” and make British public service broadcasters more competitive in the media market.
Under the draft Media Bill published on Wednesday, video-on-demand services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ will be brought under rules that already apply to traditional broadcasters.
The government said it is part of its plan to “modernise decades-old broadcasting legislation,” which it set out in a white paper last year.
According to the latest research from Britain’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom, traditional “linear” TV viewing—where viewers watch programmes broadcast at a scheduled time usually via terrestrial or satellite—is down more than 25 percent since 2011, and down 68 percent among 16–24-year-olds….