A bill that will bring the major streaming services under the watch of UK regulator Ofcom, as well as give public service broadcasters prominence, is edging closer to becoming law.
The Media Bill passed its third reading in the House of Lords last night and is now waiting to reach the final stage of Royal Assent.
Yesterday. CEOs of all the UK’s major broadcasters called on the government to ensure the Media Bill becomes law before parliament is dissolved today, ahead of the General Election on 4th July.
Speaking in the House of Commons media minister Julia Lopez asked that all amendments to the Media Bill from the Lords be agreed to.
They include retaining the ‘Reithian’ principles of public service broadcast, ensuring PSBs continue to inform, educate and entertain.
“The Media Bill will enable viewers across our country to continue to access public service television and radio content as technology changes,” said Lopez.
The Bill also ensures major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon remain free to air via a public service broadcaster
According to Ofcom, the Media Bill is the first major update to UK legislation around the framework in place to protect public service broadcasters in almost 20 years.
