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Ofcom has introduced the BBC’s new operating licence which came into effect on 1 April 2023. The new licence will hold the BBC responsible for delivering its remit, and takes account of innovative ways of distributing content. The licence reflects the changing habits of listeners and viewers, who depend less on linear programme scheduling.   Ofcom became the first independent regulator of the BBC under the current BBC Charter and Agreement, which began on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2027. Ofcom’s power to regulate the BBC is derived from Section 192...

On 29 March 2023, the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) published a draft Media Bill that reforms the regulatory framework for public service broadcasters (PSBs) in the UK. The Bill aims to level the playing field with streaming services and modernise longstanding broadcast legislation to reflect changes in the global media ecology. The Bill is introduced against the background of a “fierce battle to attract and retain audiences” in the broadcast market, with changes to content consumption habits that have put traditional broadcasters “under unprecedented pressure”,...

Ofcom has found that the Mark Steyn programme (aired on GB News), presented by Mark Steyn, breached the Regulator’s rules about not materially misleading an audience when drawing conclusions based on data issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). GB News is a television channel that primarily broadcasts current affairs programmes. It also has hourly news bulletins and describes itself as “Britain’s News Channel”. Mark Steyn was a presenter for GB News, which broadcast four days a week between 20.00 and 21.00. During the show, Mr Steyn gave his views on various...

On 16 February 2023, the press regulator IMPRESS launched its new Standards Code, with key changes including guidance on AI and emerging technologies, stricter measures on tackling misinformation, stronger safeguarding guidelines, and a lower discrimination threshold. Background IMPRESS is the only British press regulator to have sought formal approval from the Press Recognition Panel (PRP). The Panel was established in the aftermath of the phone-hacking scandal to ensure that any future press regulator meets certain standards in compliance with the Leveson report recommendations. IMPRESS...

On 7 February 2023, Ofcom released an evaluation toolkit for media literacy intervention, in the context of its "Making Sense of Media" programme – the goal of which is to “help improve the online skills, knowledge and understanding of UK adults and children” according to Ofcom. The programme is one of the measures put in place by Ofcom in accordance with its statutory duty to promote media literacy and to carry out research into media literacy matter, as set out respectively in sections 11 and 14(6)(a) of the Communications Act 2003. With this toolkit, the regulator...