Latest news with #MediaRegulation
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
YouTube ads should be monitored like traditional media, say Lib Dems
YouTube adverts should be vetted in the same way as traditional media to protect consumers against scams and harmful content, according to the Lib Dems. The party said adverts on the video streaming service should be screened for 'harmful and misleading content' and brought under the regulation of media watchdog Ofcom. Culture spokesman Max Wilkinson MP told the BBC the social media platform was operating under a 'lighter touch' advertising regime. 'Regulations need to catch up with the reality of how people are watching content and unscrupulous advertisers must not be allowed to use loopholes to exploit people,' he said. 'We cannot allow a two-tier system where traditional broadcasters face robust scrutiny, while a digital giant like YouTube is allowed to mark its own homework.' Industry bodies Radio Central and Clearcast currently pre-approve most ads before they go to air. YouTube advertising is not subject to the same type of pre-clearance checks. YouTube is now the second most-watched media service in the UK, behind the BBC and ahead of ITV, according to an annual Ofcom report. Overall, people spent an average of four hours and 30 minutes a day watching TV and video content at home in 2024, with broadcast TV still making up 56% of in-home viewing, the regulator said. 'It's time for the regulator to treat YouTube adverts much more like TV and radio adverts, to protect UK consumers from misleading or harmful content. The government needs to act now,' Mr Wilkinson said. A spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority, which monitors adverts on TV, radio and online, todl the BBC the cases highlighted by the Lib Dems came under Ofcom's reach under the Online Safety Act, but it would support their work and 'continue to play a disruptor role by reporting them and working with platforms to have them removed'. According to Ofcom, people spent 39 minutes a day on YouTube in 2024, with 16 minutes of this on the household's TV set. Younger adults aged 16 to 34 are driving the trend, watching 18 minutes of YouTube a day on TV, while one in five children aged four to 15 (20%) head straight to the app as soon as they turn the set on. Even those aged over 55 have almost doubled the time they spend watching YouTube on their TVs compared with the previous year – up from six minutes a day in January 2023 to 11 minutes in December. YouTube's soaring popularity comes as the platform's content has evolved, with half of its top-trending videos now more closely resembling traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game shows, Ofcom said. Ofcom has been approached for comment.
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
YouTube could be forced to promote British public service TV content
Digital platforms such as YouTube could be forced to make programmes from UK public service television channels 'prominent' to protect 'endangered' networks such as BBC and Channel 4 , according to the British media watchdog, the Office of Communications (ofcom) Ofcom on Monday said there needed to be 'prominence and discoverability' for content from public service broadcasters (PSBs) on the online platforms that audiences increasingly use. It added that in particular it was 'critical that the public service broadcasters and YouTube ... work together to ensure that PSB content is prominent on its service, and on fair commercial terms'. Ofcom said the government should consider whether this needs to be underpinned by legislation to give statutory backing to PSB content on YouTube, especially news and children's programmes. READ MORE Britain's existing Media Act already guarantees PSBs prominence on connected TVs and other devices, which means being seen among the first viewing options on the home screen 'carousel'. With more audiences watching online, the PSBs have developed on-demand services such as BBC's iPlayer. However, this has not fully offset declines in viewing to traditional linear channels, with younger audiences in particular more likely to watch YouTube, Netflix and TikTok. David McWilliams on how 'big incentives' to build could save Dublin city Listen | 36:51 PSBs are now increasingly placing their shows on third-party platforms to follow their audiences but are competing with vast libraries of rival content. Public service companies' video-on-demand players only account for 9 per cent of all viewing, according to Ofcom data. Ofcom said that viewers now spend less than half of their in-home viewing on traditional linear TV channels, and that this was still declining. Last year, fewer than half of 16-24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week, while younger children spent far more time watching YouTube. 'If no action is taken, the very existence of the PSBs will be threatened. Time is running out to save this pillar of UK culture and way of life,' the regulator said. YouTube and the UK government did not respond immediately to requests for comment. In a wide-ranging review designed to ensure the future of the UK's public broadcasters, Ofcom has launched an assessment of the regulation of broadcast TV and radio. It recommended a bonfire of red tape to strip away outdated and unnecessary restrictions given much of the existing legislative and regulatory framework was designed for traditional linear TV. Ofcom also urged broadcasters to be more ambitious in pursuing strategic and technological partnerships with each other. It said less commercially viable genres, such as news, local news and children's content, should be prioritised if the government was to decide to allocate additional public funding. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Zawya
06-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Kuwait: No new licenses for online news media
KUWAIT CITY - A government source informed that the Ministry of Information decided approximately three weeks ago to halt the issuance of new licenses for electronic news outlets. This decision will remain in effect until the new "Media Regulation" law is finalized. The new law is expected to introduce updated regulations for obtaining licenses and establish guidelines for managing the growing number of electronic accounts already licensed by the ministry. In a related development, the Minister of Information, Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, mentioned during a presentation on Kuwait's preparations for the launch of "Kuwait, the Capital of Arab Culture and Media 2025" last week that the new media regulation law is nearing completion. Al-Mutairi emphasized that the law will uphold freedom of expression while ensuring that the necessary media space is maintained. Arab Times | © Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Arab Times
05-02-2025
- Business
- Arab Times
No new licenses for online newspapers: government source
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 5: A government source informed that the Ministry of Information decided approximately three weeks ago to halt the issuance of new licenses for electronic news outlets. This decision will remain in effect until the new "Media Regulation" law is finalized. The new law is expected to introduce updated regulations for obtaining licenses and establish guidelines for managing the growing number of electronic accounts already licensed by the ministry. In a related development, the Minister of Information, Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, mentioned during a presentation on Kuwait's preparations for the launch of "Kuwait, the Capital of Arab Culture and Media 2025" last week that the new media regulation law is nearing completion. Al-Mutairi emphasized that the law will uphold freedom of expression while ensuring that the necessary media space is maintained.
