Online and IPTV VOD content will be regulated in the UK by a partnership of Ofcom, the Association for TV On-Demand (ATVOD) industry consortium and the Advertising Standards Authority under plans released by Ofcom on Monday. New rules and minimum standards on VOD content and advertising proposed by the regulator could come into force in December, as the UK finally moves to implement the 2007 EU-wide Audio-Visual Media Services (AVMS) directive, which proposed light-touch regulation for non-linear, “television-like” online content.
Ofcom proposes that ATVOD (members include BT (NYSE: BT) and Virgin Media) and the ASA co-regulate the sector with a set of stripped-down guidelines — much shorter than the TV-governing Broadcasting Code — although Ofcom will have “backstop powers” to step in should the self-regulation system fail. There is a consultation document (pdf) and summary here: responses are due by October 26 and Ofcom notes that it’s legally required to have some VOD rules in place by December 19.
— The new rules: On the editorial side, the AVMS directive says that VOD content should not incite hatred based on sex, race, religion or nationality or “seriously impair the physical, moral or mental development of minors”. Commercially, VOD players must make advertising recognisable, non-discriminatory and as with TV rules all cigarette and prescription medicine ads are banned.
— What is VOD?: ATVOD will decide exactly which companies are covered, with the definition of “TV-like” services where content is “chosen by the user and at his individual request”. So Google’s YouTube and other web services are not included in these proposals, but Ofcom suggests that Sky’s channels, BBc’s iPlayer, ITV (LSE: ITV) Player, 4OD and Bravo all will be. The AVMS legislation underpinning this is an update of 1989’s Television Without Frontiers directive which paved the way for multi-channel expansion — to be covered the services must be relevant to a traditional TV audience.

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