Outline of the Act Part 4 - On-demand programme services
VoD services (referred to as On-demand Programme Services in legislation, "ODPS"), such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, provide huge value to UK audiences and growing contributions to the UK economy. These services, other than BBC’s iPlayer, are not subject to OFCOM’s Broadcasting Code, which sets out appropriate standards for content including harmful or offensive material, due accuracy in news, fairness and privacy. This Act gives OFCOM powers to draft and enforce a new Video-on-demand Code, similar to the Broadcasting Code, to ensure TV-like content, no matter how audiences choose to watch it, will be subject to similar standards. This new regime is aimed at the largest, most TV-like VoD services to ensure that major services which engage UK audiences at scale are subject to the same or similar obligations as UK broadcasters. This part also contains provisions to implement requirements on VoD service providers to ensure that on-demand services are accessible to people with disabilities. These align with the statutory requirements for access services in place for linear broadcasters.