Netflix and Amazon must follow same rules as BBC
Netflix and Amazon must follow same rules as BBC: Culture Secretary says Ofcom will ‘level playing the field’ by forcing streaming giants to curb product placement, ban harmful content and introduce complaints system
- Government will consult on Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ regulation rules
- It says it wants to ‘level the playing field’ between them and the BBC
- Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said UK broadcasters ‘holding their own’
- But added they cannot compete in ‘digital world operating under analogue rules’
- The new measures could hit product placement on the streaming giants
Regulation of streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ could be on the way to help traditional broadcasters from having to ‘compete with one hand behind their backs’ – and potentially curb product placement.
The Government has announced it will consult on whether rules governing online platforms – so they are subject to similar rules as linear channels including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sky – needs ‘strengthening’.
It will consider whether new rules around impartiality and accuracy are needed for documentaries and news content to ‘level the playing field’ with broadcasters, who are regulated by the watchdog Ofcom.
The rules could also hit some of the streamers’ product placement deals, which give big companies screen time within shows.
Ofcom rules state shows have to clearly illustrate a letter P before programmes featuring such advertising.
Product placement in streamers’ programmes have become a hot topic in recent years as many like Netflix and Disney + do not feature advertising breaks.
Marketing agency BEN in January revealed which firms and brands it had found homes for within programmes.
It included computing behemoths Microsoft within Netflix’s teen thriller Elite and security business ADT on Million Dollar Beach House.
Elsewhere it said it had got cereal Honey Nut Cheerios onto Disney +’s Clouds.
Stranger Things, Netflix’s huge smash show, features copious references to Coke but this is not paid for and just part of the time-setting of the series.
Stranger Things, Netflix’s huge smash show, features references to Coke, but is not paid for
Microsoft is shown heavily within Netflix’s teen thriller Elite as part of product placement
Security business ADT on Million Dollar Beach House is another firm featured on a show
Marketing firm BEN said it had placed Honey Nut Cheerios in Disney+’s programme Clouds
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said UK broadcasters are ‘holding their own’ and cited the success of the BBC’s I May Destroy You and Channel 4’s Its A Sin, but added: ‘Our broadcasters can’t do it alone and they certainly can’t compete in a digital world while operating under analogue rules.
‘So in the autumn I plan to bring forward a white paper on the future of broadcasting, and how we can make it fit for the 21st century.
‘First we need to level the playing field and address one blatant disparity forcing traditional broadcasters to compete with one hand tied behind their backs. Every ‘linear’ broadcaster — BBC, Sky and so on — has to comply with stringent content and audience protection standards.
‘You might assume the same is true of video-on-demand services such as Amazon Prime and Disney+. You’d be wrong.’
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said traditional broadcasters ‘can’t compete in digital world’
Netflix produce a significant number of shows in the UK, including Sex Education, pictured
Amazon has made Clarkson’s Farm in the UK and has been a huge hit for the streaming giant
Mr Dowden said some services, such as Netflix, have introduced their own procedures, but added this is ‘ad-hoc and inconsistent’.
He continued: ‘This summer we will consult on whether it’s time to set the same basic rules for video-on-demand services as we do for traditional broadcasters.’
At present, Ofcom regulates British broadcasters, but streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon, which are international companies, do not fall under its remit.
And it is unclear how the rules would be imposed on companies like Netflix, who European headquarters are in Amsterdam.
Both produce a significant number of shows in the UK, including Sex Education on Netflix and Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon.
Earlier this year Disney+ also announced plans to create original content in the UK, across drama, comedy and unscripted.
The Government review will also consider the privatisation of Channel 4.
The channel has been owned by the Government since its launch in 1982 and receives its funding from advertising.
The broadcaster, which boasts Great British Bake Off, Gogglebox and SAS: Who Dares Wins among its biggest shows, was originally set up to deliver to under-served audiences.
