VoD in the UK commits to child protection

The Commercial Broadcaster Association (COBA) – the UK industry body for digital, cable and satellite broadcasters and on-demand services – have defined and signed a Statement of Practice for Video-on-Demand services, with child protection a priority.

The signatories to the statement are A+E Networks, Comedy Central, Discovery Networks, Fox International Channels, MTV, NBCUniversal, Nickelodeon, Sky, Sony Pictures Television Networks, The Walt Disney Company, and Turner.

The statement pledges to ensure on-demand viewers have access to whatever protections they need, plus make on-demand programming align with child protection tools. The statement covers on demand services that are accessed via a TV set.

Some of the types of commitment covered in the statement include pin control mechanisms and providing information on what constitutes suitable content for different age groups. This will ensure parents and guardians can decide what is appropriate for their children to watch and lock away what isn’t.

“Broadcasters play a vital role in ensuring parents have clear information, along with the tools and controls they need to manage their children’s access to TV programmes. Ofcom will continue to work closely with industry, Government and other bodies to help protect child audiences.” Said Tony Close, Ofcom Director of Content Standards.