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Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has determined that RT (formerly known as Russia Today) breached Ofcom’s rules on accuracy and impartiality in four news bulletins on the situation in Ukraine during March 2014. In a detailed 40-page decision, Ofcom concluded that in light of previous breaches (see IRIS 2014-2/22), the broadcaster is now being put “on notice” that any further breaches may result in further regulatory action, including statutory sanctions. RT is a global news and current affairs channel produced in Russia and broadcast on satellite and digital terrestrial platforms in the...

Ofcom has a statutory duty pursuant to the Communications Act 2003 to set standards for broadcast content as appear to it best calculated to secure the standards objectives, one of which is that “persons under the age of eighteen are protected”. This is also reflected in Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. As such, the early morning broadcast on BBC’s Radio 1’s breakfast show of a song that included in the lyrics the word “fuck” was in breach of the Code, as children were most likely to be listening at that time. BBC Radio 1’s show “Breakfast with Nick Grimshaw” played at about 7:55 a.m. a session recording...

The rights to broadcast the matches in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, are of an extraordinary value to broadcasters. They are sold as a package by the Premier League. In November 2014, following a complaint by Virgin Media, Ofcom, the UK Communications Regulator, commenced an investigation on whether the arrangements for the packaging of the rights constitutes a restriction or distortion of competition in breach of the Competition Act 1998 and/or Art. 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). An invitation to tender was issued by the Premier League...

On 5 January 2015, Ofcom published its decision holding that ITV’s Meridian News (covering south and south east England) had not caused an unwarranted infringement of Mrs Diane Ash-Smith’s privacy during a live news broadcast that disclosed her full address and showed footage of her car registration number, in relation to a murder enquiry of which her son, Colin Ash-Smith, was a suspect. Ofcom did not consider the Meridian News had breached Practice rules 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 or 8.6 of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code of Conduct. Colin Ash-Smith had in 1993 been a suspect in a murder inquiry concerning the death...

The UK Films Act 1985, Schedule 1, sets out the so-called “cultural test” according to which a film is certified as “British” and hence qualifies for film tax relief (see IRIS 2008-2/19 and IRIS 2006-1/25). A film so certified, i.e., that has passed the test, may apply for tax relief on film production costs (see Corporation Tax Act 2009, Part 15). The test is passed by gaining a certain number of points based on various criteria, including, the setting; subject matter; characters; language; location of the work; and the participants in the production of the film. The new 2015 Order, The Films...