DCMS announces plans for broadcasting reform in 2021

Article summary

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has announced that the government will consult on the privatisation of Channel 4 and on whether to increase the regulation of on-demand streaming services such as Netflix to subject them to similar rules to linear broadcasters such as the BBC and IT. These consultations come as part of a wider strategic review of the UK public service broadcasting system, for which a white paper is expected to be published in the autumn of 2021. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said that this white paper will outline proposals to ensure that public service broadcasters are given ‘sufficient visibility’ on online platforms to ‘ensure viewers can continue to find and access original and high-quality British content’.