Wednesday, 31 January 2024

Broadband TV News: UK Media Bill receives thirds Commons reading

Story from Broadband TV News:

The UK Media Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Under the legislation, first put before parliament in November, mainstream video-on-demand (VOD) services such as Netflix and Disney+ will be brought under a new Ofcom content code.

There will also be obligations on smart TVs, firesticks and set-top boxes to ensure public service broadcasters (PSBs) are featured prominently on their platforms.

Streaming services will be required to provide subtitles, audio description and signing to support people with disabilities, bringing them under the same regime as their PSB counterparts. They will also have to provide subtitles on 80 per cent of their programmes, while 10 per cent must have audio description and 5 per cent signed interpretation.

The Bill now passes to the House of Lords and is expected to come into law next summer.

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