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On 13 May 2015, the UK regulator Ofcom issued a statement regarding revised arrangements for signing to start from 1 January 2016, following a consultation (published in 2014). The arrangements affect “relevant TV channels”, meaning (i) domestic TV channels (ii) with an audience share between 0.05% and 1%. Generally, the new arrangements envisage an increase in the amount of sign-presented programming over time: 30 minutes a month from the first anniversary of the relevant date (for the purpose of access services obligations the relevant date is the later of the date the channel started broadcasting...

Ofcom has an obligation to consider whether a broadcaster has avoided unjust or unfair treatment of individuals and organisations featured in a broadcast pursuant to Rule 7.1 of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code (The Code). This Rule was applied by Ofcom in determining a complaint against a Pakistan Community TV Station based in the UK called ARY News. They determined that the broadcaster had unfairly or unjustly treated a Mr Mansoor Ijaz during a broadcast. On 14 February 2014, ARY News broadcast a current affairs programme called Khara Sach (translated as “the Plain Truth”), which made various allegations...

Six major US studios, holding rights to a large number of films and television programmes, applied to the UK High Court for an order requiring the five major UK internet service providers to block access to nine different websites. This was to prevent very large scale copyright infringement and can be granted under section 97A of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. The service providers did not oppose the granting of the orders. The websites fell into three different types. The first two were streaming sites and BitTorrent sites; previous decisions of the courts had granted blocking orders...

Although political advertising is not allowed in UK broadcasting, the Communications Act 2003 makes provision for the allocation of free party election broadcasts before elections and referendums to be shown by the major broadcasters. The broadcasts are to be allocated to major parties included in a list drawn up by Ofcom, the communications regulator, which has also drawn up a set of rules relating to the broadcasts. Each major party is entitled to at least two such broadcasts, whilst other parties are entitled to one broadcast if they are contesting one-sixth of seats in the election. The BBC...

Channel 4 News broadcast an item on 6 March 2014 concerning possible corruption in the London Metropolitan Police (MPS), as well as, in another situation, the role of undercover policing. The item involved, to a small extent, a reporter conducting “vox-pop” interviews with five individuals in an area of South London, defined as “recorded interviews with members of the public talking informally in public places about particular topics.” The (London) Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) complained to Ofcom that the item was neither duly accurate nor duly impartial (the MPS, additionally, complained...