Big changes coming to the rules for Netflix and Prime Video in the UK
Key Points
- Streamers with more than 500,000 UK users will face TV-style content rules
- Netflix will come under Ofcom regulation for the first time
- Viewers will be able to complain directly to Ofcom about streaming content
- The final code is due later in 2026 and takes effect a year after that
Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ will soon follow content rules similar to those for UK broadcast TV.
The UK government confirmed that streaming services with more than 500,000 UK users will become “Tier 1” services under the Media Act 2024. The government estimated that the threshold will capture more than 20 services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4.
Ofcom said that some streamers based outside the UK, including Netflix, have escaped its regulation entirely despite targeting UK viewers.
The regulator published its draft Tier 1 Standards Code on 14 May, and the draft broadly copies the existing broadcasting rules. The draft covers harm and offence, due impartiality and accuracy, and fairness and privacy.
Law firm Wiggin said Ofcom has adapted the draft for on-demand content, which carries no watershed requirements.
Viewers will be able to complain directly to Ofcom, which will gain powers to investigate breaches and impose sanctions.
Ofcom ran a consultation on the draft until August and expects to publish the final code later in 2026. The government said the code will take effect one year after Ofcom publishes it.
A separate accessibility code will require the services to subtitle at least 80% of their catalogue, audio describe 10% and sign 5%. The services will have four years to meet those targets, with interim targets after two years.
BBC iPlayer sits outside Tier 1 because the Broadcasting Code already covers it. Ofcom has proposed applying the new accessibility code to iPlayer as well.
Government figures show that two thirds of UK households subscribe to at least one of Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+. It said 85% of people use an on-demand service every month, compared with 67% who watch live TV.
Ofcom’s new audience research, published on 15 October, gives an early view of what viewers expect from streaming services. Ofcom commissioned the research partly to guide how it applies its new duties across streaming platforms.
Participants said they felt more relaxed about offensive language on streaming services because they actively chose what to watch.
The survey numbers told a slightly different story. Half of respondents found “fuck” acceptable on streaming, compared with 57% for broadcast TV after 9pm.
Participants expected zero tolerance in children’s sections of streaming services, including children’s profiles on Netflix.
Many treated Disney+ as a children’s platform because of the Disney brand, even though it carries adult programmes. Some participants also said parental controls do not always stop children from reaching unsuitable content.
