The British government has called on live broadcasting platforms to reveal the viewers they have available to them who are from British public service television channels. It also suggested that it would introduce legislation if this did not happen voluntarily.
The order is mainly directed to Netflix and Amazon, whose catalogs include many programs from BBC, ITV (officially called Channel 3), Channel 4 and Channel 5, such as “Peaky Blinders”, “Fleabag”, “The Bodyguard”, “Duty Line”, “The Fall” and “Luther”.
In what was described as a “surprise intervention”, authorities on Thursday approved a recommendation from a committee of the British Parliament (DCMSC), which indicated in March that platforms should share audience data with channels and the entity. (Ofcom), so that a full analysis of the impact of Public Service Television (PSB) can be done.
The authorities haven’t gone that far, but have recommended at least sharing the sessions with Ofcom and hope this is done “primarily on a voluntary basis”, but leave open the possibility of introducing legislation if there is no transparency.
Traditionally, streaming platforms are very secretive about audiences, arguing that publishing such information would be commercially sensitive.
In March, the committee disagreed with this argument and added that “streaming services are an important ‘second window’ to PSB content, but without audience data, it is difficult to fully assess PSB’s reach.”
Salman Rushdie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, politics, literature, and international affairs. He focuses on delivering clear, informative reporting that helps readers understand the people, events, and trends influencing today’s world.
