UK media content regulation
Produced in partnership with Samuel Rowe of 5RB
Practice notesUK media content regulation
Produced in partnership with Samuel Rowe of 5RB
Practice notes
This Practice Note provides an overview of media content regulation in the UK. The main media regulators are as follows:
| Media | Regulator |
| Broadcasting (television and radio) | Ofcom |
| Press and magazines | Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) |
| Advertising | Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) |
| Cinema and video | British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) |
| Video on demand (VoD) | Ofcom |
| Video-sharing platforms (VSPs) | Ofcom |
| Social media platforms and search engines | Ofcom |
Broadcasting
Ofcom regulates the content of television and radio programmes by establishing and applying codes containing rules which broadcasters are obliged to follow. The principal code for regulating editorial content is the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (OBC).
Ofcom coregulates broadcast advertising with the ASA—see: Advertising below.
The OBC
Ofcom is required by law to maintain a code for television and radio covering standards in programmes, sponsorship, product placement in television programmes, fairness and privacy. The main code is the OBC.
As well as applying to the content of television and radio in services licensed by Ofcom, the OBC applies to services funded
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Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
Related legal acts:
Key definition:
Ofcom definition
What does Ofcom mean?
UK Communications regulator established by the communications act 2003, covering television and radio broadcasts and responsible for representing the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition in the broadcast media and protecting the public from harmful or offensive material via the broadcasting code. Ofcom has various wide-ranging powers including the ability to levy financial penalties or force the broadcast of corrections for breaches of the Broadcasting Code.
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