Last Tuesday (7), the King Charles III officialized the implementation of the Media Law, known as the “Media Bill”, in the United Kingdom.
This measure aims to regulate streaming services in conjunction with television networks and will now go to the British Parliament for analysis.
A step into the future
Passed earlier this year, the Act aims to bring US streaming services under Ofcom’s regulatory framework.
This means that these platforms could face substantial fines, up to £250,000, or even restrictions in the UK, if they violate rules on harmful content that have applied to public broadcasters for decades.
As confirmed in the king’s speech, the objective of the Law is:
“[…] better protect children by implementing standards similar to those used on television. The Bill will ensure these standards are upheld across streaming services through a new proportionate video on demand code, to be developed and enforced by Ofcom.”
Image: Mateus Bigogno/Reproduction
However, streaming companies like Netflix and Prime Video expressed criticism of the measure, arguing that impartiality rules could discourage documentaries from being made available to the British public.
Earlier this year, Netflix even threatened the preventive removal of films and TV shows from its local catalog to avoid violating new regulations, if they were made official.
On the other hand, the change responds to calls from the population and part of the British government to align streaming platforms with traditional broadcasters, considering the amount of British content produced by these North American companies and the number of British talent they have. acquired in recent years.
The Media Law is seen as a necessary step to adapt regulations to changes in the way the public consumes media content.
It ensures the competitiveness of public service broadcasters and drives the growth of creative industries across the world. UK.
