Ofcom Streaming Services: UK to impose broadcast‑style rules on Netflix, Disney+ and others

The UK government is laying secondary legislation to implement the Media Act 2024 and bring the largest on‑demand platforms under Ofcom’s oversight. ofcom streaming services will now be subject to new accessibility targets, content rules and a formal complaints route — changes aimed at protecting viewers as audiences shift from live TV to streaming.

Which platforms are in scope and the Tier 1 threshold

The legislation will apply to the biggest video‑on‑demand services, naming Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+, alongside public service broadcaster VoD platforms such as ITVX and Channel 4. Any VoD service with more than 500, 000 UK users will automatically be designated a “Tier 1” service and brought under a new video on demand standards code similar to the Broadcasting Code followed by the, ITV and Sky News.

VoD services provided by the, such as iPlayer, will continue to be regulated under the Broadcasting Code the Framework Agreement for now, but will later be brought under the VoD standards code.

Ofcom Streaming Services accessibility targets and timeline

Ministers will legislate to create a new VoD accessibility code, to be enforced by Ofcom, that sets minimum requirements for subtitling, audio description and signing. Mainstream streaming services must ensure at least 80% of their total catalogue is subtitled, 10% is audio‑described and 5% is signed.

The largest mainstream services will have four years to meet the requirements of the accessibility code, with interim targets after two years. The government states these are minimum targets and fully expects VoD services to go further where possible; it also expects many services will meet the requirements earlier than required. Ofcom will shortly begin a public consultation on the new VoD accessibility code, offering the public and providers an opportunity to set out their views.

New content rules, complaints and Ofcom’s investigative powers

The new rules extend beyond accessibility to content standards. The proposed video on demand standards code will include rules on accuracy and impartiality for news and on protecting audiences, particularly children, from harmful or offensive material. Ofcom will gain the power to accept viewer complaints and to investigate streaming platforms, and where it considers there has been a breach of the code it will have the power to take action, as it currently does with broadcast television.

There will be a public consultation to establish the video on demand standards code, allowing both the public and streamers to put forward views on what should be included.

Government rationale, audience shifts and what is excluded

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that the way audiences watch TV has “fundamentally changed, ” with millions choosing video‑on‑demand platforms alongside or instead of traditional television. The government has framed the changes as strengthening protections for audiences, creating a level playing field for industry and supporting the media sector.

Regulators and ministers point to shifting viewing habits: a ratings body’s report found live TV viewing dropped from 60% to 45% of all viewing between 2022 and 2025, and that a third of audiences who turned on a TV set went to streaming platforms or YouTube as their first choice of viewing — the same number who went to traditional broadcasters, with the remaining third miscoded as miscellaneous.

At the same time, the government highlighted a gap in protection: while licensed television channels must comply with Ofcom’s accessibility requirements, many of the UK’s most popular VoD services were not regulated to the same standard and some were not regulated in the UK at all, posing a risk to disabled audiences.

How accessibility changes will affect disabled viewers

The accessibility code is intended to benefit Britain’s estimated 18 million people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, and 350, 000 people who are blind or partially sighted, helping them to access films and TV on demand. Officials say the Ofcom‑regulated code will give people with sight or hearing disabilities greater confidence that they will be able to stream their favourite content long into the future.

Notably, the new rules will not apply to video‑sharing platforms such as YouTube, which are already subject to the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023.