The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a technical consultation on proposed amendments to the Enterprise Act 2002 (EA 2002) regarding government intervention in media mergers. Ofcom has a duty under section 3 of the Communications Act 2003 (CA 2003) to secure and maintain plurality of providers of various TV and radio services and to examine the operation of the media ownership rules listed in that section every three years under CA 2003, s 391. Following its recent review of these rules, Ofcom laid out three recommendations to the government—retain the Cross-Media Ownership and Appointed News Provider rules regarding Channel 3, remove restrictions on certain entities holding broadcasting licences and widen the scope of the existing Media Public Interest Test framework beyond print newspapers and broadcasters. The consultation is now seeking views on the proposed government amendments to the EA 2002 which will implement these changes. The consultation will close at midday on 18 December 2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has extended the Online Advertising Taskforce for another year to continue addressing online advertising harms, particularly in protecting children. The Taskforce, made up of government and advertising sector representatives, focuses on six key areas, including age assurance, influencer marketing, and transparency. Its aim is to improve standards, promote information sharing, and build trust in the sector. The Taskforce is also advancing initiatives such as a Gold Standard certification and a new Code of Conduct for influencer marketing.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a policy paper setting out its review of the Dormant Assets Scheme (the Scheme) and the Alternative Scheme, covering the period from February 2022 to February 2025. The review concludes that progress to fully operationalise the Scheme has been slower than originally anticipated due to regulatory and technical barriers, however, the insurance and pensions and securities sectors are now fully operational and the Scheme will soon be ready to include eligible assets from the investment and wealth management sector.

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has published its response to the consultation on Gambling Commission operating licence fees, held 27 January–30 March 2026. Having received 47 responses, DCMS will not proceed with any of the three consulted options (a 30%, 20% or 20%-plus-ringfenced-10% increase) and will instead implement, via secondary legislation, a 25% headline increase from 1 October 2026. Society lottery fees will be frozen to protect returns to good causes. General betting (limited) fees will shift from a days-of-operation to a gross gambling yield (GGY) basis—under this revised approach, 44% of operators in this category will receive a fee reduction. Personal licences, supplementary licences, single machine permits and variation applications will also increase by 25%. No phased implementation is intended, as fees remain a small proportion of operators' annual GGY.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a letter from the Minister for Arts and Heritage, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, to the Chair of the Charity Commission of England and Wales, Orlando Fraser KC concerning the commencement of sections 15 and 16 of the Charities Act 2022 (CA 2022). As well as permitting charities to authorise smaller ex gratia payments without the approval from the Charity Commission, these provisions would also enable national museums and galleries, whose governing legislation precludes the restitution of any objects in their collections, to apply to the Charity Commission for permission to make an ex gratia payment involving the restitution of an object. The letter explains the decision to exclude these national museums and galleries from the commencement of these provisions as well as any ex gratia payment where the recipient is located outside the UK.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published ‘Turn It Up: Our Plan for Music,’ a long-term strategy setting out government and industry actions across 10 priority areas to strengthen the UK music sector, alongside the appointment of former UK Music chief executive, Michael Dugher, as the government's first Music Champion. The plan introduces new investment, education reforms, support for creators and venues, business and export measures, and ticketing reforms intended to make the UK the best place to create, experience and invest in music. Dugher has been appointed for an initial unpaid 12-month term to promote the plan, strengthen engagement between government and the music sector, monitor delivery and help identify further actions to support its objectives.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a policy paper on the Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy in England. The strategy is centred on three long-term objectives: effecting lasting change through innovative programmes, safeguarding the Scheme and its funding by ensuring that funds remain supplementary to central government spending, and establishing the Scheme as the best practice standard for managing dormant assets. The strategy is designed to serve as a roadmap for stakeholders involved in the Scheme.

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has published a policy statement which outlines the evidence provided by industry on the new online prominence framework introduced by the Media Act 2024. The framework requires certain TV platforms which are provided in connection with ‘internet television equipment’ to carry and give prominence to public service broadcaster TV apps. The policy statement outlines the DCMS' approach in considering what categories of TV devices are to be considered as internet television equipment. Following the Internet Television Equipment Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1056 being laid in Parliament on 24 October 2024, Ofcom will consult with industry to inform its advice to the Secretary of State on what television selection services should be regulated under the new prominence framework.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published terms of reference for the Illegal Gambling Taskforce, which is aimed at bringing together stakeholders including gambling bodies, law enforcement, regulators, government departments, tech platforms and payment providers to identify solutions and provide recommendations on reducing the negative impacts of specific challenges relating to illegal gambling. The taskforce aims to deliver a programme of work focused on preventing or reducing payments from and to illegal gambling operators, tackling online advertising of illegal gambling and improving cross-agency collaboration and enforcement relating to illegal remote and land-based gambling. A sub-group is planned to be established to address each of these areas and report on progress and recommendations.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), alongside the Ministry of Justice, has released the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) Taskforce's Final Terms of Reference as well as the minutes of the three SLAPPs Taskforce's meetings held respectively on 11 September 2023, 6 November 2023 and 13 February 2024. The SLAPPs Taskforce sits within the framework of the National Committee for Safety of Journalists, which helps to ensure journalists are able to carry out their work of reporting information in the public interest free from physical threats, attacks, intimidation and violence within the UK.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), alongside the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), has released minutes from the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) Taskforce’s fourth meeting, which was held on 25 March 2024. Topics of discussion at the meeting include an update from the MoJ, a deep dive into understanding and monitoring the prevalence and nature of SLAPPs, a speech by Bill Browder on his experience of SLAPPs, an update on guidance for journalists and legal service ethics and lastly, next steps. The next meeting of SLAPPs is proposed for May/June 2024.