The United Kingdom government plans to extend the reach of the communications regulator Ofcom to bring the leading online video platforms under an enhanced regime of media regulation for the first time. The move is a cornerstone of the new audiovisual framework established under the Media Act 2024 and reflects how habits have shifted in favour of viewing video on demand.
Under secondary legislation laid by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, any online video on demand service reaching more than half a million users in the United Kingdom is expected to be designated as a ‘Tier 1’ service and fall subject to an enhanced regulatory regime. Ofcom will draft a new VoD standards code aligned with core principles of the Broadcasting Code, imposing obligations in areas including content protection, fairness, privacy and news accuracy.
Audiences will, for the first time, be able to escalate complaints about programming on qualifying online video services directly to Ofcom, making platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video subject to complaint handling processes long applied to linear television channels. Sanctions similar to those used in broadcast regulation, including fines, will also be available. For video-on-demand services, the maximum fine per breach of a rule will be £250,000 or 5% of qualifying revenue, whichever is the greater.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the enhanced regime “strengthens protections for audiences, creates a level playing field for industry and supports our vibrant media sector”. She noted that “millions now choose to watch content on video on demand platforms alongside, or in the case of many young people, instead of traditional TV”.
The government announcement cited the Ofcom 2025 Media Nations report, which found that 85% of adults use an online video service each month, compared with 67% who watch live television.
The threshold of 500,000 users is designed to capture major international and domestic platforms that have become central to how British audiences consume programming comparable to television.
The online video services of public service broadcasters are already regulated under established Ofcom frameworks, with the BBC additionally bound by its Charter obligations. The reform is therefore aimed less at domestic broadcasters than at ensuring that the largest international streaming platforms operate under comparable standards when serving audiences in the United Kingdom.
Qualifying services will be required to adhere to a VoD standards code, still to be consulted on, covering harmful content, fairness, privacy and other core principles. They will also become subject to a VoD accessibility code to improve subtitling, audio description and signing provision. The government has indicated long-term accessibility targets of 80% subtitling, 10% audio description and 5% signing across catalogues, with interim targets after two years. Services will be accountable to Ofcom’s complaints and enforcement framework, with sanctions on par with existing broadcasting penalties.
Global subscription streamers such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video have for years operated with lighter content regulation in the United Kingdom, despite dominating viewing figures. Under the new rules, programming made available to UK audiences on designated services will become subject to standards aligned with public interest principles.
Companies coming under the regulation will need to adapt internal compliance and complaints processes to meet regulatory expectations, an operational change likely to increase complexity and cost.
The standards code will then come into effect one year after it is published by Ofcom. ‘Tier 1’ services will have four years to meet the requirements of the accessibility code, with interim targets after two years. However, the government expects many services will meet the requirements earlier than required.
Industry observers see the move as part of a broader shift in which governments are closing regulatory gaps that allowed global streamers to operate under lighter regimes than domestic broadcasters. The policy in the United Kingdom may influence similar discussions in the European Union and elsewhere as jurisdictions seek to balance innovation and audience protection.
Broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC already operate under strict regulatory frameworks for linear television and their own on demand services. Extending oversight to major third-party services narrows the competitive gap.
The regulatory change arrives against intense competition for audiences and advertising revenue. By imposing standards and accountability on online video platforms, the government aims to uphold audience protections and ensure accessibility provisions such as subtitling and audio description are available across on demand services. The changes are intended to place broadcasters and global online platforms on a more even regulatory footing.
The secondary legislation implementing the enhanced regime is expected to come into force on 1 April 2026, at which point Ofcom will begin designating Tier 1 services. A formal consultation on the VoD standards and accessibility codes will follow, with industry and public responses shaping the regulatory detail.
While the move narrows the regulatory gap, it does not fully equalise the commercial environment. Advertising on online video services in the United Kingdom remains governed largely by the non-broadcast advertising code rather than the stricter broadcast advertising framework applied to television channels. The reform strengthens editorial oversight but stops short of imposing full broadcast-style advertising constraints on online platforms.