UK government consults on ways to ensure quality TV content can be found online

The UK government has launched its green paper and public consultation on the future of UK media, which includes plans to give established broadcasters more visibility on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.

Ian Murray

The lengthy document, published today, sets out a new strategic direction for the government’s media policy to address the challenges caused by the “explosion of seemingly unlimited content, accessed primarily via the internet.”

The interventions it is consulting on aim to make trustworthy news easy to find, ensure audiences can continue to enjoy universal access to trusted and high-quality television content and support public service media (PSM) providers.

The green paper acknowledges that UK broadcasters have been usurped by global streaming services, video sharing platforms and social media companies when it comes to commanding the public’s attention.

The UK government has said it therefore must support the sector to “diversify funding, retain IP and ensure PSM continues to champion high-quality, distinctive UK content that drives economic growth across the nations and regions.”

It has committed to exploring legislative options to require social media to make news content from PSM providers, and potentially also national and local news publishers, prominent and easily discoverable to counter misinformation, especially during times of social unrest or crisis.

The green paper also points to research undertaken by media regulator Ofcom that has found some children’s content on YouTube, compared with traditional TV, has become faster paced, highly edited, chaotic and often delivered to the user without context, which can lead to viewers feeling overstimulated.

As a result, the government is exploring whether PSM children’s content should also be made more discoverable on video platforms.

“Whilst certain genres like news are a priority, we need to consider whether all PSM content should be covered so that a wider range of high-quality, UK relevant content is made more discoverable,” the paper states.

“TV has always provided a safe space for children. At its best, high-quality children’s TV and video content helps children learn about the world around them, expand their horizons and see themselves and their communities reflected back at them. It is essential that children can continue to have access to high-quality, culturally relevant, UK-made content.”

It will also explore options for “strategic reform” to the PSM system with the aim of better reflecting how people consume media and to address the regulatory and economic challenges this poses.

The government said it wants the PSM system to be “more flexible” to changes in the market and to allow for the potential for a greater or different range of PSM providers that deliver content in different ways.

“Taken together, this work will ensure that our media continues to play its vitally important roles in entertaining, educating, serving democracy and supporting social cohesion in the UK, while putting audiences first,” said Ian Murray, minister for creative industries in the media and arts.