Overview
- Services with more than 500,000 UK users will be designated Tier 1, covering major streamers alongside ITVX and Channel 4, while video‑sharing platforms such as YouTube remain regulated separately.
- Ofcom will handle viewer complaints, investigate alleged breaches and take enforcement action, with reported penalties of up to £250,000 or five percent of qualifying revenue per breach.
- A new VOD standards code, mirroring the Broadcasting Code, will require accurate and impartial news and protections from harmful or offensive content.
- A separate accessibility code will set minimums of 80% subtitled, 10% audio‑described and 5% signed catalogues, a step welcomed by disability groups urging providers to go beyond the baseline.
- Ofcom will shortly consult on the standards and accessibility codes, the standards code will take effect one year after publication, BBC iPlayer is initially exempt, and the government says more than 20 platforms are in scope.