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The effects of COVID-19 and the lockdown have dramatically affected the UK film and TV industry, with cinemas closed and most studios shut as productions are suspended. Below is a summary reflecting the impact this has had on the industry. For example, soaps such as BBC’s Eastenders and ITV’s Coronation Street and Emmerdale have had their production suspended for the foreseeable future and fewer episodes are being broadcast each week to maximise the supply of pre-filmed material. However, as a significant proportion of the British population are confined to their homes, there...

London’s High Court rejected RT’s judicial review application to overturn Ofcom’s record GBP 200 000 fine against the broadcaster for breaching impartiality rules relating to several programmes about events in the Ukraine, the war in Syria and the Salisbury poisoning. RT is the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation TV-Novosti, a Russian corporation which holds a licence to broadcast the RT television service in the United Kingdom. Ofcom had opened its investigation after receiving viewer complaints about RT’s coverage of the March 2018 poisoning of Serge Skripal and his...

On 21 January 2020, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the United Kingdom's independent body established to uphold information rights, published its Code of Practice which should be followed by online services to protect children’s privacy. The Age Appropriate Design Code of Practice, the first of its kind, is a statutory code required under Section 123 of the Data Protection Act 2018. It seeks to address the increasing concern about the position of children in the modern digital world and to create a safe online space for them in which they can explore, learn and...

Talk Radio, whose licence is held by Talksport Ltd (the Licensee) has been fined GBP 75 000 by Ofcom and directed to broadcast a statement of the regulator’s findings, on dates and in words to be determined by Ofcom. The fine arises from three episodes of the George Galloway programme which breached Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code rules 5.11 and 5.12 by failing to maintain due impartiality on matters of major political or industrial controversy and major matters relating to public policy. The breaches occurred on 16 March, 27 July and 6 August 2018. Talk Radio is a national digital speech...

The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) has produced its final report recommending what regulatory steps the UK Government should take to prevent harm from online targeting yet allow ethical innovation in this area. The CDEI is an independent expert committee led by a board of specialists established and tasked by the UK Government to investigate and advise on how to maximise the benefits of data-driven technologies as well as address any potential negative aspects. Data-driven online targeting is a new and powerful application of technology whereby its systems predict which content would...