Nov 28 2019
Ofcom issued a draft notice to suspend the broadcasting licence of Club TV Limited after its channel Peace TV Urdu repeatedly rebroadcast material that we had previously found incited murder. Ofcom has a duty to suspend a broadcast licence if we are satisfied that the licensee has broadcast a programme likely to encourage or to […]
Apr 25 2019
The BBC has submitted to broadcast regulator Ofcom the Corporation’s proposals to improve BBC iPlayer for audiences by making programmes available for longer and offering more box sets and archive titles. In November 2018, Ofcom directed the BBC to conduct a ‘public interest test’ (PIT) to assess properly the value and potential impact on other […]
Dec 20 2018
RT is “extremely disappointed” following British broadcasting regulator Ofcom’s announcement that some content on the RT news network was in breach of impartiality rules. In a bulletin issued December 20, Ofcom stated that a total of seven programmes or segments, including Sputnik, Crosstalk and various items of news coverage were found to be in breach […]
Jul 27 2018
Ofcom has specific powers and duties in relation to public service broadcasters and their prominence on television guides, sometimes called electronic programme guides (EPGs). This includes a duty to draw up, and from time to time to review and revise, a Code of Practice (Code) for licensed EPG providers that, among other things, ensures such […]
Apr 20 2018
Ofcom has today published a consultation about our provisional decision to approve the launch of a new BBC television channel for audiences in Scotland. The BBC published detailed proposals for a BBC Scotland channel in November 2017. We announced in January that we would undertake a competition assessment to examine whether the public value offered […]
Apr 18 2018
Ofcom has today opened seven new investigations into the due impartiality of news and current affairs programmes on the RT news channel. The investigations (PDF, 240.5 KB) form part of an Ofcom update, published today, into the licences held by TV Novosti, the company that broadcasts RT. Until recently, TV Novosti’s overall compliance record has not […]
Apr 13 2018
Following a public consultation, Ofcom has decided to approve proposals from Absolute Radio to reduce by 5% the transmission coverage of its AM national commercial licence. The document summarises the responses Ofcom received to the consultation and explains our decision, and the reasons for it. Absolute Radio Limited holds a national commercial radio licence to […]
Mar 8 2018
Public service broadcasting (PSB) has a long and proud tradition in the UK, delivering impartial and trusted news, UK-originated programmes and distinctive content. The public service broadcasters are those providing Channel 3 services, Channel 4, Channel 5, S4C and the BBC. While all BBC public service television channels are PSB channels, only the main channels […]
Feb 27 2018
Award of wireless telegraphy licences for use of the 2.3 GHz band (2350-2390 MHz) and the 3.4 GHz band (3410-3480 MHz and 3500-3580 MHz) will be conducted via an auction. The 2.3 and 3.4 GHz spectrum is likely to be used by mobile network operators to deliver additional capacity for mobile broadband. The 3.4 GHz […]
Jan 25 2018
Arabic language channel Al Arabiya News has been fined £120,000 for breaching broadcasting standards on fairness and privacy after broadcasting an interview with a Bahraini survivor of torture, Ofcom has said. The regulator found that the channel, originating from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, had obtained and broadcast footage of Bahraini opposition leader Hassan Mushaima without […]
Mar 29 2017
UK comms regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on detailed proposals for how it will regulate the BBC’s performance under its new Royal Charter, which outlines how it should deliver for audiences. Ofcom becomes the first independent, external regulator of the BBC on April 3rd. Its role is to hold the Corporation to account against […]
Dec 31 2020
Proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Code and the Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising
The UK statutory framework that shapes the regulation of UK television services is changing. The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations came into force on 1 November 2020. The AVMS Regulations implement the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) into UK law. They amend Section 319 of the Communications Act 2003, which sets the standards objectives that […]
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By Expat • Ofcom, United Kingdom • Tags: AVMS, AVMS Directive, European Convention on Transfrontier Television