Govt wants Netflix to follow same rules as BBC and ITV

New rules to protect Tv-streaming viewers from misleading health advice and “pseudoscience documentaries on climate change” could be introduced by the Government.

Currently, traditional broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Sky have to follow Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, which sets out standards for content in areas including offensive material, accuracy, fairness and privacy.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden wants similar rules to apply to the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ to ensure a “level playing field between traditional broadcasters and online streaming services”.

He wrote on GOV.UK: “Right now, viewers in the UK know that if they switch on their TV, there will be a high standard of rules in place to protect audiences, including the 9pm watershed and certain content standards. The same is not currently true of video-on-demand (VOD) services - BBC iplayer excepted.”

He acknowledged that Tv-streaming services must currently follow rules to protect children from harmful content, but said that age ratings are often inconsistent, meaning parents can’t rely on them.

One of the problems, according to the Government, is that Tv-streaming services don’t have to be based in the UK to be made available here.

For example, Netflix UK is subject to Dutch regulation because it’s based in the Netherlands.

Dowden said that rules set by other countries “might not reflect UK views on the appropriateness of certain content”, adding that “now that we have left the EU, we have the opportunity to set out our own regulations in the best interests of UK viewers”.

The Government will hold a consultation with interested parties until the end of October, and publish a report on the future of broadcasting later in the autumn.