Media Regulator's Initiative to Protect British Public Service TV Faces Hurdles

Govt's cautious response reflects concerns over Trump's potential reaction to measures

- Jonathan Eyal

Britain's media regulator has called for fresh legislation to protect the nation's established public broadcasters such as the BBC from online video-streaming services owned mainly by foreign companies.

"Public service media has a long and proud tradition in the UK. It delivers duly impartial and trusted news and original programmes which reflect British culture and bring the country together," stated a July 21 report issued by Britain's media regulator, the Office of Communications, or Ofcom.

But, according to Ofcom, the country's public broadcasters risk becoming an "endangered species" in an age of video-streaming websites such as YouTube.

The answer, the regulator claims, is to compel global streaming companies to give higher prominence to content produced by British public broadcasters, so that such material can be more easily accessible to British audiences.

Ofcom's proposal for a set of new measures, including fresh legislation, has taken many media specialists in London by surprise, and it is far from certain that the measures will find favour with the British government.

Still, the proposals are broadly in keeping with efforts undertaken by many countries, including Singapore, to ensure that their national public media providers can survive in a global information landscape increasingly dominated by a handful of often US-owned video-streaming companies.

YouTube is a subsidiary of Alphabet, which is also the parent company of Google.

Public service broadcasters in Britain comprise the tax-funded BBC – the oldest global broadcaster, affectionately referred to by the British as "Auntie" – and five other advertising-funded networks that hold broadcasting licences.