Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom yesterday proposed sweeping new rules for major streaming platforms aimed at strengthening audience protections and improving accessibility standards, bringing services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ closer to the regulatory framework governing traditional television broadcasters.

Under draft new codes published for consultation, streaming services would for the first time be required to comply with rules on harmful and offensive content, due impartiality and due accuracy in news, fairness and privacy, while also meeting strict accessibility quotas for subtitles, audio description and signing. The proposals follow new powers granted to Ofcom under the Media Act to regulate ‘Tier 1’ video-on-demand services.

Ofcom in a statement said the changes were intended to “level the regulatory playing field” between streaming services and traditional broadcasters so that viewers receive similar protections regardless of how they consume content. It noted that some streamers, including Netflix, had previously fallen outside Ofcom’s regulation despite targeting and profiting from the United Kingdom audiences.

The proposed content standards code broadly mirrors existing broadcasting rules but is tailored to reflect differences between scheduled television and on-demand viewing. Among the key proposals are enhanced protections for under-18s, including safeguarding the welfare and legal rights of minors appearing in programmes, and stronger obligations around harmful and offensive content.

While potentially harmful or offensive material would not be prohibited outright, streaming platforms would be required to provide “adequate protection” to viewers and ensure offence is justified by context. Ofcom also proposed requiring “exceptional editorial justification” for including explicit details about novel or unusual suicide methods. 

Additional rules would address incitement to crime or disorder, abusive treatment, and portrayals of criminal techniques and proceedings.

The regulator also proposed adapting impartiality requirements for the on-demand environment, allowing services flexibility to maintain due impartiality across multiple programmes rather than within a single broadcast. At the same time, it said streaming services should provide the same level of protection against unfair treatment or unwarranted infringement of privacy as traditional broadcasters.

Alongside the content standards framework, Ofcom published a separate draft accessibility code designed to improve access for more than 18 million people in the UK with hearing or sight-related disabilities. Under the proposals, major streaming services would be required to subtitle at least 80 percent of their catalogue, provide audio description for 10 percent and signing for 5 percent, with poor-quality accessibility features excluded from quota calculations.

Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Ofcom’s Group Director for Broadcasting and Media, said: “Audiences today want to watch great content across different on-demand platforms with the same reassurance and confidence they have when viewing traditional broadcast television.” 

She added: “Our proposed new content standards Code for the largest and most popular streaming services will, for the first time, deliver the clear and consistent protections that audiences need and expect. We’re also making sure that people with sight and hearing conditions can also enjoy popular streaming content by setting strong new accessibility requirements.”

Ofcom said consultations on the proposed codes would remain open until August 7, 2026, after which it expects to publish final rules later this year. The regulator is also seeking evidence to help shape procedures for investigating possible breaches of the new streaming standards regime and handling audience complaints.