Government consultation on a new direction for UK media
DCMS has published a wide ranging Green Paper on the future of UK media, Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media which was published on 23 June 2026 (the ‘Green Paper’). In some ways this Green Paper seems premature given the Media Act 2024 is not yet fully implemented (and won’t be for some time). However, in other ways, it seems overdue, being an attempt to join the dots across the UK’s current patchwork of media regulation and to look more fundamentally at whether the current system is fit for the future.
The topics addressed in the Green Paper range from the future of DTT and transition to IP delivered services, possible future models for the regulation of public service media and prominence for “trustworthy” news content online as well as public service content more generally. Listed Events (see below) and Terms of Trade[1] also get a mention, as does AI (of course), as well as podcasts, which are an increasingly important part of the overall media ecosystem. Whilst wide ranging, running through the Green Paper are some consistent and fairly fundamental themes – public service content as a key pillar of national identity, the importance of accurate news to the functioning of democracy, the challenges posed by large social media and video sharing platforms and the algorithms that drive them (and on this there is clear alignment with OFCOM’s recent activities on online safety) and an acceptance that the “PSB compact” doesn’t seem to stack up anymore.
The Green Paper landed at an interesting time politically, coming immediately after the resignation of the UK’s 7th Prime Minister in 10 years. Time will tell how much of a priority these issues are for the new PM, but in the meantime we have taken a closer look at some of the proposals.
Prominence
The Green Paper looks at prominence from two different angles:
- Prominence of trustworthy news online; and
- Prominence of public service content more broadly across all media.
Trustworthy News
OFCOM research shows that 4 of the top 10 news sources are now social media platforms and social media is now the main way in which 16–24 year olds seek out news content. Not only does the Government have concerns about the algorithms driving these platforms (“they encourage engagement over accuracy”), it believes that viewers are struggling to differentiate news from opinion content. The growing amount of AI-generated content online exacerbates this - the Government had already announced the establishment of a task force with a view to putting forward proposals in the Autumn for labelling of AI-generated content as well as its plans to launch a consultation on deepfakes in the Summer.
Against that backdrop, the Government intends to explore options for a statutory prominence regime for “trustworthy” news on social media and video sharing platforms. How exactly the government plans to increase the prominence of public service news content remains unclear, but the reforms could result in national and local news appearing higher up in social media feeds when users are searching for news, which the Government argues could help tackle mis- and disinformation, particularly during periods of social unrest or crisis. In the coming months, the Government plans to test how this could work in practice.
Interestingly the proposal is not simply that news from current public service broadcasters should benefit from this prominence. Instead a new category of “trustworthy news provider” will be developed, possibly based on the recognised news publisher definition in section 56 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (which alongside the BBC and other self or independently regulated news providers also, importantly, includes publishers of celebrity gossip). Similar to the PSB compact, there will likely be obligations that sit alongside the prominence benefits for these trustworthy news providers. These could include a requirement to have effective complaints handling procedures in place and to promote media literacy[2] and/or stringent rules on the use of generative AI in news content.
Prominence for PSM
More broadly on prominence for public service media providers, the Government’s position is that global tech platforms now control the main routes to audiences, making it increasingly difficult for public service media providers to get in front of viewers as well as making it increasingly difficult for them to generate financial returns.
As a result, the Government is keen to understand what more can be done to support public service media providers from a prominence perspective. The Media Act 2024 provided a building block by establishing the prominence framework for public service media providers' on-demand players e.g. BBC iPlayer and ITVX on connected TV platforms. But Government feels that more needs to be done.
The “strong preference” is for industry led, voluntary arrangements. The Government has suggested that prominence could be improved through partnerships between public service media providers and platforms, pointing to the recent BBC collaboration with YouTube to produce platform‑specific content and the use of ITV's YouTube channel to stream the BRIT Awards. So, at this stage, the Government is not committing to legislation, and instead the focus is on allowing more time for voluntary solutions between relevant parties to achieve increased prominence and for further evidence to be gathered on PSM more broadly. In this context, the consultation questionnaire appears confusing, inviting thoughts about prominence of PSM content on platforms (such as Netflix) that do not currently carry PSM content other than by agreement with the producers of that content, while the Green Paper does little to explain how those questions tie into the wider agenda.
The Government has shown in recent weeks - with the announced ban on social media for under 16s (see our update on that topic here) - that it is not afraid to propose stringent regulation on social media platforms if required, so we look forward to tracking the progress of this initiative.
The Future of Freeview
The Government has been considering how to address the issue of DTT switch off for some time now. Including this in the same Green Paper as prominence for news and public service content may seem random, but the sustainability of the current PSM system is intrinsically linked with the future of DTT. The current PSMs are required to make their services available for free on multiple platforms, particularly traditional TV platforms like DTT. In return, their services must be prominent on those platforms. However, the value of this prominence in a fragmented media landscape no longer seems to stack up against the cost of maintaining a DTT broadcast infrastructure that will only be relevant to a maximum of 1.5 million households in 8 years’ time.
The Government therefore acknowledges that decisions on the future of DTT as a TV broadcast medium need to be made. It is committed to DTT until at least 2034 (when the current DTT multiplex licences are due to expire). The question is whether full transition to IPTV is accelerated to that date or whether it has a life after that date. The Green Paper makes clear though that a life beyond 2034 will only be possible if the costs of carriage for broadcasters on DTT can be reduced.
The Government will now work on a plan for switch-off either in 2034 or in 2044, alongside designing a support package for audiences to help them with the transition. One of the key factors in whether switch off is possible in 2034 is whether the Government’s target of gigabit broadband roll out to 99% of UK homes is achieved by 2032. If not, switch off may be extended. That would however delay the positive impacts of DTT switch off, particularly for mobile operators who will benefit from the freeing up of spectrum currently used for DTT. We should know later this year which way the Government is heading on this, however one thing is clear - there is no future for DTT beyond 2044.
The rest
Three other topics in the Green Paper warrant a mention.
- First, the Government is going to undertake a “period of stakeholder engagement” (cue more consultations…) on more fundamental changes to the current framework of media regulation in the UK. At present the regulation that applies to a service largely depends on how that service is delivered to audiences. Is it linear or on demand? Is it available on a regulated EPG or not? Is made available via a traditional TV platform or online? The Government is seeking views on a potential “shift away from a regulatory system based on how content is delivered, to one that focuses on where audiences find and consume TV-like content” with the aim being to truly level the playing field. Some work in this area has been done through the Media Act 2024 (particularly the regulation of Tier 1 VOD services) but we continue to have a patchwork of regulation, rather than one overarching consistent set of rules. Whether the latter can truly be achieved is TBC but there is appetite in DCMS to try to move in this direction.
- Secondly, public service media status is currently limited to a defined group of traditional, regulated TV broadcasters. The Green Paper indicates that the Government may rethink who qualifies as a public service media provider, with proposals to open the framework up beyond traditional broadcasters, to include additional broadcasters and potentially YouTube channels. In various places in the Green Paper, the role of the BBC is emphasised as a cornerstone of the UK’s public service media landscape, and that does not look set to change, but there is scope to bring more providers into the fold. The Green Paper also moots a possible move away from broadcast licences as the key means of imposing regulation on public service media providers, which makes sense if more and varied types of providers will be able to qualify as public service.
- Third, on Listed Events, the Green Paper also confirms that the Government intends to extend the free to air Listed Events regime to cover on demand rights, helping ensure that events such as the World Cup and Wimbledon remain available free of charge on digital and online platforms, rather than just traditional TV “when Parliamentary time allows”. This seems a very definitive proposal to appear in a Green Paper, without any real explanation of the details involved, which have the potential for upsetting the delicate balance between PSMs, sports rights owners and the commercial media owners on whom much sports finance depends.
Next steps
The consultation is open until the end of August. Given the range of topics covered we expect PSMs, other broadcasters, platforms, producers and infrastructure operators to all be responding. How far those responses will go in terms of bringing about a more fundamental shake up of media regulation remains to be seen, and any such changes would no doubt take many years to come to fruition (you only have to look at how long it is taking to finalise the implementation of the Media Act, which originated in an Ofcom recommendation in 2019).
There is also a question about where media regulation should stop and start – whilst the Government is keen to look at options for regulating media on a platform neutral basis, the various formats for media and entertainment content continue to evolve. From podcasts to games, TV is facing competition for consumer attention more broadly – at what point does the notion of “TV like” content regulation itself come up for review?
Article co-authored by Hannah Torpey, Trainee Solicitor
[1] Although no specific changes are proposed at this stage with the Government instead minded to let the recent changes in the Media Act settle first.
[2] The Green Paper also proposes a new duty on public service media providers to promote media literacy, to sit alongside OFCOM’s recommendations on media literacy under the Online Safety Act 2023. OFCOM recently published its final 10 recommendations on how broadcasters, online platforms and streamers should promote media literacy (see: How to promote Media Literacy: Statement on recommendations for online platforms, broadcasters and services).
