Latest in Ofcom

A five-year survey conducted by UK regulatory body Ofcom has concluded that the Brit industry is facing a talent drain and is failing to retain diverse employees. Female employees were more likely to leave the TV and radio industries than join them across the studied period, it concluded. It added that, while minority…

Piers Morgan and ITV have been cleared by UK regulator Ofcom over comments the presenter made on Good Morning Britain about Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Morgan told viewers he didn't accept claims made by Markle that her mental health had suffered so much since she joined the royal family that she "didn't…

New research published by UK regulator Ofcom has evidenced how the pandemic impacted viewing habits, with the leading streaming services further increasing their market share as the public were forced to stay indoors. The average person was sat glued to the box (or laptop) for five hours and 40 minutes per day in…

UK media regulator Ofcom has recommended that the country’s wildly popular television tax break system could be expanded to encourage increasingly dominant platforms, such as streaming giant Netflix, to invest in local public service content. Ofcom said the government should consider broadening the high-end TV tax…

U.S. streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+, are poised to face increased scrutiny from UK media regulator Ofcom under plans being drawn up by Boris Johnson’s government. The Daily Telegraph and The Times Of London were briefed on the proposals, which could see the streamers become part of the same…

Piers Morgan has sensationally quit Good Morning Britain, the ITV breakfast show he has helped revitalize, after the former CNN anchor said he did not believe Meghan Markle’s mental health issues led to her contemplating suicide. In a statement on Tuesday evening UK time, ITV announced: “Following discussions with…

UK media regulator Ofcom has revoked the broadcasting license of Chinese state-backed network CGTN after it was unable to show that it operates independently of the Chinese Communist Party. Under UK broadcasting laws, organizations that hold broadcasting licenses may be state-funded, but must not be controlled by…

UK media regulator Ofcom has warned that the British government urgently needs to overhaul broadcasting laws if public service broadcasters, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, are to survive in the age of streaming. Ofcom published early findings from its landmark review of public service broadcasting today…

Britain’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden has denied a report that the government has asked right-wing commentator Charles Moore and former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre to fill two powerful UK media jobs. The Sunday Times reported that Moore has been tapped to be the next chair of the BBC, while Dacre is set to be…

ITV’s flagship daily show This Morning is to be assessed by media regulator Ofcom after presenter Eamonn Holmes made comments about the baseless conspiracy linking 5G with the spread of coronavirus. Ofcom has received 419 complaints about the show on Monday — which was watched by 1.6M people — and a spokesman said…

The ever-deepening ties between the U.S. and UK television industries were laid bare today in a chunky report by Ofcom. The British media regulator dropped a five-year study on the state of play at British public service broadcasters — namely the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and ViacomCBS’s Channel 5. The 67-page report…

A controversial episode of Celebrity Big Brother was the most complained about British show of the decade, while Love Island, The X Factor and ITV daytime show Loose Women also make the list from regulator Ofcom. More than 25,000 people complained about an episode of last year's Celebrity Big Brother on Viacom's…